EVANGELION: A SWIMMING LESSON
Chapter Three: The Frail Heart/A Scuffle
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and its characters are property of GAINAX and ADV Films. I don't own them, nor do I intend to utilize them for any profitable purposes. Simply the purpose of writing entertainment.
Pre-Chapter Author's Note: Looks like viewing Death & Rebirth has left me reeling, as well as hungering to see how the whole situation resolves in The End. It's funny, too...how one can have so many ideas and be able to keep elaborating in the weirdest of time. At work...pacing around at home, bored...or when trying to sleep. All these times seem to be my most creative periods, when I can actually think storylines for these ideas through within the recesses of my mind. At current count, in a notebook where I jot possible ideas down, I currently have...about 30-some ideas or so for stories. Not all of them Eva-based, however, and this story isn't included in those ideas, as this was one I started writing before jotting down as a note.
Now, on with this odyssey...
Oh, and again, I'll insert this into every chapter from now on, to make sure the readers remember:
"This indicates spoken dialogue."
'An indicator of thought.'
And this is when something is written down.
Let's see, last time we left our cast, the first day's lesson was over, and Shinji had gone to bed dreaming of his tutor, Rei Ayanami, whom he also now thought of as a woman...
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A new day had dawned upon the city of Tokyo-3, and Shinji Ikari couldn't have felt more relaxed. The previous night's rest had been rather different from those that had come before, and both his mind and body felt truly ready for the hardships and adventures of a new day. Adventures meaning whatever Rei might choose to teach him today in the pool. Hardship, of course, referred to any and every second around Asuka.
Fortunately, that time wasn't now, as the Third Child quietly assembled a lunch for himself, as well as one for his newly found swim instructor, that being Rei Ayanami.
'Well, it's often said that the first day is the hardest,' he thought to himself while trying his best to keep his mind on the preparation of the food, and not losing his mind over Misato's rather loud snoring. She usually wasn't this loud when she slept.
'She probably just had more to drink than usual. But, then again, what's her limit, anyway?'
Shinji chuckled at that thought, wondering if Misato ever really got in a truly drunken state anymore and dismissed the thought just as quickly.
And then there was the note that he had seen on the table last night. From Asuka, no less. He still couldn't figure out what she might want in talking with him. 'Since when did she ever want to talk?' Shinji pondered. But he decided to give it a chance. There were times when she wasn't such a bitch, after all. And it could be rather nice during those rare times that she smiled without the slightest hint of anger or arrogance. Not to mention that he probably wouldn't be able to avoid her completely anyway, since they lived together.
After a short while, Shinji concluded with making the lunches he would need for the day, and, as an afterthought, inserted his cell phone into his pack, just in case someone chose to try and reach him, whether it be Kensuke to gossip, Asuka to rant, or Rei...
'Hell,' the Third Child admitted to himself, 'Rei's the only reason I'm carrying it.' He saw no point in denying that to himself. She had given him a rather decent conversation the previous night, and it felt quite stimulating. Like eating a food you like that you hadn't eaten in a long time.
A prodding upon his leg informed Shinji of Pen-Pen's presence. The poke tickled, making Shinji laugh just a little as he made his way to the fridge and retrieved a thawed fish for the little guy to much on.
"Here you go," Ikari said, setting the fish into the penguin's bowl. In response, Pen-Pen completely forgot about Shinji and dove his beak into the fish with a ravenous hunger that only Toji could possibly match.
The Third Child took in the funny scene for a few moments before slipping his shoes on as well as his pack, and departing the apartment, with newfound confidence. But it was still early in the day...
-------
Since Shinji had left early today, when Toji and Kensuke arrived , they had to ring the buzzer repeatedly and deal with a half-sleepy Misato doing her best not to fall over from either fatigue or being hung over, possibly both.
"Man, that sucked!" Kensuke complained as the two of them hurried towards school to make up for the lost time trying to figure out the Major. "Not only is Shinji not there, but Misato was all tipsy!"
Toji laughed aloud as they jogged, seeing as how walking wouldn't get them there any quicker. "Oh, you know you'd have wanted her anyway if we weren't going to be so damn late."
"Yeah, but Shinji would still protest, saying all that stuff about her being a slob and such."
"Who cares?" Toji replied. "She's a fucking babe!"
"You got that right." Kensuke then hastily adjusted his bag so that his camera didn't fall out. Choosing common sense over foolishness, he had chosen to leave the camera within his notebooks, since they were in such a hurry. "So, the question is, why wasn't Ikari there..?"
"Ahh, 50 bucks says he'd rather walk with Ayanami, and you know it."
"Maybe...but are you going to give him a hard time about it?" Kensuke asked.
Toji couldn't help but grin before answering that question. "Hell yeah! Until either you or I find a girl to hang out with like he does. Geez, Shinji's so lucky."
"Not that he ever realizes it."
"Yeah," Toji stated in agreement. "He is kinda clueless like that, isn't he?"
"Maybe, but it's also part of his charm."
Toji scoffed. "Hah! That's your opinion."
"I bet you'd change that opinion if he went and asked Hikari out." Kensuke knew that had a good chance of annoying his friend.
It worked, namely with Toji nearly stopping in his tracks and blushing his cheeks off. "Eh-uh...the class rep? No way, dude! No possible way. Besides, you've seen how he's been literally staring at Rei in class. I could swear that Shinji's got a thing for her."
"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we?" Kensuke inquired as they entered the school, noting that they had a few precious minutes.
"Something like that...."
-------
Class was as boring as almost everyone had come to expect nowadays. Again, the sensei droned on about the horrors and repercussions of Second Impact. Hence, the students were engaged in more or less usual boredom activities, which consisted of mostly typing messages on the laptops, the girls gossiping even more then Kensuke.
At least, this was what most of the students were doing. Hikari was the only student paying any real attention to the lesson, just so she could give everyone else grief later. Toji and Kensuke could have been easily seen Rock, Paper, Scissors as well as Thumb War, if the sensei ever actually looked at his students. Asuka had fallen asleep, not even bothering to throw more than a single nasty glare at Shinji before nodding off. Rei was gazing out the window again, despite her break in behavior yesterday.
Sadly, Shinji was the only bored student who wasn't really doing anything to kill time. He just slouched a bit in his seat and stared blankly at his laptop screen, wondering if he should take after Asuka's example and engage in a quiet nap. It was then that he noticed a piece of notebook paper upon his desk, folded in half twice.
'Another writing from Asuka?' Shinji wondered. 'No, she's out cold...'
Feeling a bit better at having something to do, the Third Child opened up the note and read the single line written upon the looseleaf paper:
Are you disinterested in class, Shinji?
The handwriting was Rei's. Needless to say, Shinji wasn't totally surprised. But he also knew he should respond quickly, which he did and then proceeded to pass it back to Rei.
Yeah, considering the -truth- about Second Impact. I didn't know you passed notes.
Because he didn't dare look at her and risk any heckling at the moment, Shinji simply extended his arm in her general direction. He felt the paper leave his hand and quickly retreated his arm.
A few moments later, the note reached his desk top again.
Talking seems to be out of place at the moment, as does the messages on the screens. This is more...private.
Shinji was thankful that this was private, so far. He had to be careful about it, since he knew how note-passing could easily go wrong, were it to fall into improper hands, namely the sensei's, Toji's, Kensuke's, Hikari's, or most especially, Asuka's. Besides, writing seemed easier at times to Shinji, when he couldn't easily voice his thoughts.
As long as we're cautious.
Every time the First Child's hand touched that of the Third Child, he could swear he felt a spark, as if being touched by a downed power line. It made him feel a bit livelier than before.
We will not be noticed. Did you bring your gear?
The gear, of course, referring to the trunks.
Of course. Can we eat lunch together again? I made one just for you.
This writing was quickly calming Shinji's nerve-racked mind.
I would like to do that with you very much.
And, of course, blushing on both of the writers' cheeks was natural.
Thank you, Rei.
Shinji felt like he could do this for a long while.
And I thank you as well, Shinji. See you on the rooftop.
Unfortunately, not long after the Third Child read that final note did the bells ring, signaling lunchtime for everyone after the class rep had everyone stand and bow before the sensei.
Little did the two of them, or anyone else, realize that a pair of eyes had indeed caught them in their activity....
-------
Two minutes later, Asuka's eyes fluttered open after her sleep had been disturbed by a hand shaking her shoulder. Her temper immediately flared up as she grabbed the offending hand, prepared to slap the assailant, namely because she was damned sure it was Shinji, trying to offer some kind of apology.
"Asuka?"
The Second Child's restraint kicked in once she noticed that it had only been Hikari waking her up. "Oh, it's you."
"I-I'm sorry," Hikari apologized. "I didn't startle you, did I?"
Asuka quickly sighed and sat back, feeling a slight cramp in her back. "No, I just thought it was the dork."
"Which one?" Hikari asked, giggling.
Asuka couldn't help but grin. 'Well, at least she can cheer me up.' But as she looked around, her blue eyes noted no sign of whom she had originally been searching for.
"Hey, Hikari.."
The class rep quickly gave her a wondrous look after setting their food upon Asuka's desk. "Hmm?"
"You haven't seen Shinji, have you?" Asuka inquired.
"Not since he took off a minute ago or so," was Hikari's reply.
"Well, where did he go!?!" The Second Child pounded her fist on the desk, feeling herself getting angry again, wanting to wallop Shinji good for disappearing on her.
"I don't know, Asuka." The class rep quickly sat down and handed some of her home-cooked food to the redhead, putting on a good face, though inside she was a bit terrified.
'If I really did see what I thought I saw earlier, she'll be pissed,' Hikari thought. 'And that doesn't even include yesterday..at the pool...'
Fortunately for the brown-haired schoolgirl, Asuka went after the food right away, munching down as if she hadn't eaten for ages. It looked rather humorous, but at least it wasn't provoking laughter, and thus, putting the Second Child on edge again. Hikari decided not to worry about what she had seen for the moment and also began to eat.
Since they were eating, the two of them paid no attention to anything else. that is, until Toji accidentally raised his voice.
"So he really went up there with her?"
Asuka's eyes widened, but she continued to eat, letting her ears do the work, thinking that they might slip a detail about Shinji's whereabouts. Her guess was about to pay off...
"Shh." Kensuke quickly put a finger to his mouth and took a drink out of his bottle. "People will hear you. And, yes, he did!"
"Ikari? No fucking way!" Toji exclaimed as quietly as he could, biting into his sandwich to try and mask the chatter. But Asuka knew better as she neither batted an eye nor threw a glare in their direction. As long as she let them run their mouths, she'd get the information she wanted.
"Yeah, he did. She sort of asked him to, and he went with it. After I coaxed him, of course." Kensuke continued, grinning.
"What do you mean, sort of, dude? Did she or didn't she ask him?"
"She left him a note before heading to the roof."
"Ohhh, man, he is so lucky!" Toji said after hearing that, feeling both slightly jealous and partially thankful for Shinji at the same time.
"And after that, he met her at the pool again."
"Again? What do you mean, again?"
"Well, remember a couple days ago?" Kensuke's voice was a bit lower now that he had finished his food, but that didn't stop Asuka from eating slowly, not even paying attention to Hikari, who was lost in a daydream.
"Yeah, what about it?" Toji asked, reclining in his seat. Then his expression changed as he understood what Kensuke was getting at. "Ohhh...so that was what Ayanami wanted to talk to him about?"
Asuka ate a little louder. 'I knew Wondergirl had something to do with this!'
"I don't know what it was about. And Shinji hasn't said why he went there that day, or yesterday, for that matter," Kensuke answered while fiddling with his camera.
"He went there yesterday, too?"
"Yeah. He even asked me to keep you-know-who off of him." With that, Kensuke gestured over to the Second Child, who had to chew just a bit harder to keep herself in check.
"Whoooaa...didn't think you were that gutsy, having to get involved with her."
Kensuke chuckled. "It was nothing, really. I just paid a classmate from the camera club to pretend to bully me up and run off with some of my money." He then sighed. "I had to forfeit that money to Asuka, though, after she caught the guy and almost broke his jaw."
Asuka quickly made a mental note to herself to get Kensuke back for that little stunt, despite the decent share she'd received from catching the so-called thief.
"I'm sorry, dude. I should've been there to back you up."
"Naah," Kensuke replied, "It's alright. For Shinji's sake, it was worth it. Besides, after the whole ordeal, I snuck back to the pool to find out what was going on with him and Rei."
"So, what was it?" Toji inquired.
'Yes, indeed, what was it?' Asuka wondered.
"They were in the pool together."
"You mean they were making out in the pool!?!" Toji cried, letting his voice raise a little.
After quieting Suzuhara back down, Kensuke went on. "Not from what I could see. Rei was more or less trying to keep Shinji from flopping like a fish the whole time."
"Well, I suppose that makes sense. He did say he couldn't swim..."
'The idiot can't swim? He never told me that!' This time, Asuka wasn't feeling as angry, because it somehow did make sense, though she didn't care to figure out why.
"...hey, wait a sec, are you saying Rei's tutoring him?" Toji questioned, raising an eyebrow at his friend.
"That's what I'm guessing," Kensuke replied.
"Man...she's teaching him how to swim AND he gets to be close to her the whole time! Is anyone as lucky as Ikari is?"
"And don't forget being an Eva pilot, to boot. Hell, Shinji's luckier than loaded dice."
Both Kensuke and Toji broke out into laughter over that remark for a short while. After the commotion died down, Kensuke glanced upward. "Heh, looks like they're up there again."
Toji followed his friend's lead in a not too subtle fashion, craning his neck and face so he didn't have to adjust his sitting position. Sure enough, his view could make out the unmistakable features of both Shinji and Rei, and although they were a good distance away, it could be easily inferred that they were enjoying each other's company.
"Wow," Suzuhara said while in a daze, "you ain't kidding..."
That only furthered Asuka's building rage. 'That jerk! How dare he eat with her again and not with ME?' Yet, she kept her cool.
"Think they'll be at the pool again today?" Toji wondered.
"Oh, you bet they will!"
At this point, Asuka was nearly ready to storm over to the two Stooges and knock their asses from one end of Tokyo-3 to the other. Not to mention how badly she wanted to drop in on Shinji and Rei's little gathering.
After a few moments, a devilish smile crossed her face. 'Let the idiot and his doll have their fun,' she thought as she finished her food. 'I'll have mine later.'
And so did today's lunch progress, with wandering thoughts, playful daydreams, and the lone redhead, masterminding her vengeance...
-------
For the rest of the day, classes were as uneventful as usual. Needless to say, the students were excited once the bells rang and the class rep dismissed them.
Toji and Kensuke could easily have been the most joyous, seeing as how the weekend was coming forth after this day. "YEE-HAH!" they yelled in unison, giving each other a hig-five, then hastily packing their books and papers. Shinji also had a satisfied look on his face, though his packing was slower, more organized.
"So, Shinji, enjoy your lunch with Rei?" Toji asked in a teasing manner as he slung his pack over hid shoulder.
"Yep," was the Third Child's simple answer.
Suzuhara felt a bit taken by surprise. Shinji was never usually this calm when talking about Ayanami in this manner!
"And I bet you're going to head for the pool again, aren't you?" Kensuke questioned in a follow-up response.
"Something like that," Shinji said as he closed up his backpack. "Why, are you guys going to stop by?"
That caused Toji and Kensuke to crack up for a few moments. "Naah, Rei's all yours, dude!" Kensuke called with a grin as the duo waved to Shinji and promptly departed.
Shinji couldn't help but chuckle to himself. 'Thanks, guys. Thanks for understanding,' he thought as his body moved itself off to the pool area for his second session.
'It...feels so nice to be around Rei like this. Maybe Toji and Kensuke were right after all...'
Shinji then hoped today wouldn't be as embarrassing as yesterday's introductory lesson. But, then again, he figured, the first time was always a rather unusual experience. So had things been with piloting Unit 01, and although it didn't provoke nearly as much fear, the session with Rei hadn't been an exception to that rule. Yet, for all the embarrassment he had suffered, Shinji also believed he had gotten through probably one of the biggest hurdles in taking that first step.
Also, despite how much he felt like denying it, a small part of him couldn't deny that his closeness to the First Child that day had felt rather delightful, a sort of soothing for only his shaky nerves.
'It's so....euphoric. I....Do I like this...?' Shinji pondered while lost in his mind for a few minutes.
A weird feeling near his legs caused him to look down and yelp as his cheeks went red, as he noticed a bulge within the pants of his uniform. Though Shinji kept walking, he casually held the backpack with one arm, trying to cover the obvious erection from view.
'Geez, that's embarrassing as hell,' Shinji thought as he hurried his steps over to the pool. 'I hope no one saw that...'
Of course, though the Third Child didn't know it, someone had seen this. Of course, this person did what she could to remain out of any possible sight of Shinji, though it wasn't necessary, due to how abnormally dense Shinji could be at times.
'The dork wouldn't expect me to sneak around like this, after all!' That thought brought a smirk to Asuka's face as she silently continued to stalk her daydreaming prey...
-------
Stillness was the dominating factor in the view of the First Child as her body drifted along the surface of the pool water. Every now and then, a stroke or two to keep her afloat, but for the most part, the ceiling was what her eyes focused on as she waited for her student.
'No,' Rei thought. 'Shinji is more than just a student...he is a friend...a fellow pilot....someone whom shows care for me in ways no one else would. Ways that are foreign in my life, and yet....they also feel quite nice. I feel like I can be more than what I show to others around him. Does he truly bring this out from within me?'
Noises emanating at a distance from her, as well as a slight cry of pain accompanied by a slight curse, indicated the Third Child's arrival.
Rei let herself smile just a little, having to keep from giggling. 'Yes...Ikari also makes me laugh...something only he has ever done.' Knowing Shinji would be out shortly, the First Child began to move herself to the edge of the pool, near where she had two large towels spread out on the tiled floor to lay on, as well as a pair of small towels to dry hair off with. She had found this arrangement to be useful when she swam alone, and hoped Shinji would find it to his liking as well.
Soon enough, the Third Child jogged over to her and sat down upon a towel, partially out of breath, which caused Rei to ask him, "What is wrong?"
"Huh?" Shinji gave Rei a rather dumbfounded look, but realized what she was talking about. "Nothing. I just didn't want you to wait that long, so I ran. Kinda tripped in the process, too."
"Are you injured?" Rei inquired.
Shinji shook his head. "Just startled me, that's all."
"That is good. Then we can proceed." As she said this, her hands met Shinji's, and the boy felt an object pressed into his hands.
"What..?" he wondered, looking down and seeing the object he was now holding, which turned out to be a pair of goggles. "What are these for?"
"Yesterday, you learned how to exist in water. Today, I shall help you experience the sensation of being under the water. The eyepiece will let you see what lies beneath, without giving you a terrible eyesore."
"Th-thanks, Rei.." Shinji slightly stammered as he slipped the goggles on, noticing that the lenses were made of dark-colored material, hence dimming his view once the eyepieces fit into place. He then quickly stepped into the pool with her, feeling a slight chill run up his spine as his body once again immersed itself.
"You are not so nervous today, I see," the First Child stated, noting the rather calmed manner in which her student stepped in and waded around.
"Yeah," Shinji responded, beaming with a bit of confidence.
Rei smiled at him just a little. 'Perhaps today will go better....'
-------
Meanwhile, not more than a couple hundred feet away, Kensuke Ida found himself struggling in a headlock, trying to make noise in protest. The attacker had given no warning before jumping him from behind not long after the boy had decided to split from Toji for the day and check up on Shinji. And whomever it was, they were quite good, applying just enough pressure to make him think twice before doing crying out. Hence, his squirming was rather quiet, though full of half-assed attempts to eascape.
Soon, though, Kensuke felt a movement and quickly figured out not only that the attacker's face was close to his own, but also whom it was that had gotten to him.
A feminine voice whispered into his ear, "I heard about your little stunt the other day. If you want to avoid another incident, you'll do what I tell you." The girl then squeezed her arms just a bit tighter around Ida's head. "Got it!?!"
"Got it! Got it! Let me go, dammit!" Kensuke managed to spit out before the assailant released her grip on him, causing him to fall to the floor. Once he gathered his bearings, he sat himself up and looked at the girl's face. "Geez, Asuka, why did you have to do that?"
Asuka quickly got her zero-to-sixty angry look in less than a second and proceeded to grab him by the collar and haul him back up to his feet, keeping him against the wall. "That, as I said, was for yesterday's little faked pounding." She then beckoned with a hand. "Now, unless you want to find out what a real pounding is like, fork over that camera!"
Kensuke knew Toji might call him a wuss for giving in to Asuka like this, but as he handed the camera to the redhead, he was moreso worried about what she planned to do with it in regard to Shinji.
Asuka quickly looked the camera over. "There is a working disc in here, right?"
"Y-yes, of course, there always is..."
The Second Child then smirked. "Good! Now I'll just shoot this little session and it'll speak volumes over any lame excuse he tries to give me." With that, Asuka activated the device, centered her eye in the viewpiece, and pointed it right out at the two unsuspecting pilots in the water, being damn sure to use the zoom feature to ensure that the whole thing was caught by this footage.
Kensuke, noting that her attention seemed to be focused on Shinji and Rei, started to tiptoe out of the office room that he and Asuka were in.
"Better stay in that seat, Kensuke, unless you want me to keep your precious recorder!" Asuka threatened, pointing with one finger exactly upon the chair he had just been sitting in, never taking her gaze from the eyepiece.
Kensuke sighed and sat himself back down, knowing Asuka hit a nerve in that he would never really give up that camera for anything. It was part of his life and identity, after all.
"That little dork!" Asuka muttered to himself while keeping close watch on Rei and Shinji's activity. "Never told me he couldn't swim..." she continued as her mumbling dropped in volume, allowing Kensuke to at least let his guard down a bit as he slipped out his homework.
'Looks like I'm stuck here, for the moment,' Ida thought to himself as he slipped out his homework as quietly as possible. 'Better make pointful use of the time.'
-------
As before, after 2 hours' time, the lesson was concluded, and the First and Third Children went their respective ways to change into their regular clothing.
"Looks like the lovebirds' time is over," Asuka declared, stopping the recording and casually popping the video disc out of its casing, handing the camera itself to Kensuke afterward, who was halfheartedly engaged in a difficult math assignment.
"I'll just hang on to this for safekeeping and possible extortion!" the Second Child then exclaimed, slipping the aforementioned disc into her bag and giving Kensuke a rather silly, though still treacherous, smirk. "You understand, of course, don't you?"
"Um, yeah..." Kensuke replied with shaky resolve while trying to stow away his textbooks.
"Good boy!" Asuka exclaimed, slinging her bag over her shoulder and moving for the door. "That takes care of Shinji," she then muttered as she left, "now for Wondergirl...sayonara, Stooge!"
Kensuke could finally breathe a sigh of relief after she left. 'Thank God that's over with,' he mused as he inspected his recorder to make sure Asuka didn't damage it in any way. Knowing how she'd needed it so much to capture footage of Shinji and Rei together, it was an easily made assumption that the camera wasn't damaged. That didn't stop the tan-haired voyeur from checking it out anyway, out of pure paranoia.
Fortunately, the device was still in as good of condition as it had been when she started recording. 'Thank God she's only bitchy and vengeful, not destructive.'
The noise of footsteps prompted Kensuke to slide out of his chair and take a knee as he observed through the opened office doorway the tutor and her student walking off together. He hadn't made too much noise, or so his brain kept telling him as his heart raced, hoping he wasn't seen by them. That would be a tad embarrassing for the smallest Stooge.
After several long moments passed, the footsteps faded, and Kensuke finally stood back up, resuming on his action to pack his things. Once he was done ensuring all his supplies were packed in properly, he pulled out a cell phone and dialed up a number.
The line was picked up, and a voice came over the receiver. "mm..hello?"
"Toji!" Kensuke exclaimed, in a whispering voice, despite the fact that there was no one around to eavesdrop. "It's me!"
"Uhnnn...Kensuke...what time is it?" Toji asked, groggy from having his nap interrupted by this sudden call.
"Only a couple of hours since school," Ida answered.
"Aww, geez. I was trying to take a nap, dude!" Needless to say, Toji was a tad annoyed at this.
"Sorry about that, but you just gotta hear this!"
"It had better be worth it.."
"It is. Trust me, Toji!"
-------
Not long after departing from school, Ikari and Ayanami found themselves walking the Tokyo-3 streets alongside one another, rarely any conversation ensuing, as was often the case. Just because Shinji had managed to overcome an obstacle or two on his way towards learning the skill of swimming didn't mean he was any less scared. And although these lessons were giving him yet another sense of closeness to the mysterious First Child that few could fathom, it was nevertheless dangerous territory to tread upon for a psyche as fragile as his.
Thankfully for Shinji, Rei decided to break the all too common silence between them. "Today's lesson went well."
Shinji turned his face to gaze at her as they continued upon their journey. "You really think so?"
"Yes. You seem well-adjusted to being within the water now."
"Thank you, Rei. It means a lot, coming from you."
The First Child's only response to that was a slight nod as she halted in her tracks.
Shinji stopped as well, a bewildered look upon his features at her. "Wh-why did you stop?"
Her answer was simple. "This is where our paths separate."
As a consequence, Shinji indeed examined the intersection they were at and deduced that indeed they would now have to go different ways to get to their respective homes.
"Oh....um, yeah, of course!" he said, managing a nervous laugh as she waited for a walk light. But he still felt compelled to keep going with her. "Um, Rei..."
"What is it?" Neither her face nor stance altered to meet the eyes of the Third Child.
"I....um.....err...." Yet again, Shinji just couldn't figure out what he wanted to tell her. 'God, why is this so damn hard?'
Without warning, the walk light displayed itself, and so Rei began to step off the curb and onto the street. Oddly, Shinji's mind freaked just a bit as his hand shot out and gently took her shoulder. "Hold on..."
This time, the First Child did turn around to face him, her crimson eyes meeting his frightened look. 'I do not understand,' she thought, 'why does he look so worried?'
The look continued for a few more seconds before Shinji finally acted, pulling her towards him and bringing his arms around her body in a rather sudden, but well-meaning hug.
As for Rei, her mind was alive with shock. 'Is this...affection he is bestowing? This is unexpected...but...it feels so positive...'
Fortunately, the body seemed to be a bit more on track then the mind as her own arms found their way across Shinji's sides and back, completing the embrace and causing a realization of how warm it felt to be holding someone.
Of course, many good things must end, and so did this occasion, after a couple minutes of silence, neither one wanting to end the moment so soon, nor admit to such a desire. But eventually, their arms came apart, and they were soon back to standing closely together, so close, in fact, they each could almost feel the other's breath upon them.
Rei then took a step back, her cheeks going red. "I must be going now."
Shinji felt a bit embarrassed himself, but also more at ease now that he had actually tried to connect with her, just a little. "Take care, Rei. See you on Monday?"
Once again, Ikari's stomach was full of butterflies as Ayanami showed another of her petite, but heartwarming smiles.
"Yes," was her response. "Take care....Shinji." With that, she then spun on her heel and calmly walked across the street, towards her place of living.
The young Ikari felt even more dazed than previous times when he and the blue-haired girl had shared a close moment, standing at the curb for many silent seconds. Afterward, his thoughts found a reason to snap him out of his stupor.
'I can't forget that Asuka wanted to talk to me today...but about what?'
Shinji wasn't really worried, but with the redhead, he always had to be on guard. So he decided to take his trip home nice and slow.
-------
Mechanical noise. Pistons, gears, axels, and pumps, all operating in clumsy, monotonous motion. Such was the norm in the neighborhood of the First Child.
'Why do I live here?' she wondered as her inner monologue once again presided over her mental awareness during these travels, more or less dulling her senses to the point of nonexistence as her feet carried her towards home on their own, as if it were second nature.
'Is this just a place to exist? A place of...identity?'
'What is home? Is where I live home? Home is a base of one's self, one's identity, isn't it? Yet, my home has little. Only what I need. What is need? Need is that which we deem we must have. Yet, is that also not a definition of want?'
'What is it that I want? Do I...want...anything within my life?'
'Water. Again, I see endless blue. Another image...that of myself. But it is not myself as a person, but rather, myself as a tutor. A tutor to one known as Ikari. Shinji Ikari. A person that I feel something about. I feel...bonded to him. Is this in the same way I am connected to Unit 00? No, this bond is...different.'
'This feeling of attachment to him....it....it is-'
A sudden feeling of physical blockage broke her thoughts apart and forced her eyes to focus.
Quickly did Rei determine where she was, as well as what had stopped her. Her location was that of still being on the street, but not more than ten feet from the entrance to her building. Normally, such would be followed by ascending a floor and then walking a hallway to the dull metallic door that represented possible entry into her apartment. But her entry had been blocked, namely because someone was in the way.
"Pardon me," Rei quietly said, trying to get past the person, believing that she had accidentally bumped into whomever it was that stood here, seeing as how she hadn't been watching her step.
The intruder, however, remained in place, continuing to block Ayanami's presence from entering the doorway. And as Rei brought her eyes up to identify this person, her brain didn't take long in figuring out the features of lengthy flame-colored hair, piercing blue eyes, and overall sneer that was the defining look of the Second Child.
"Hello, Wondergirl. Home a little late, aren't you?" Asuka's voice had a defiant and aggressive tone in it.
Rei could easily guess that this short-fused visitor wasn't here because of getting lost. It simply wasn't in the redhead's nature.
"Is something wrong?" the First Child questioned of the girl in front of her.
"Oh, nooo. Nothing at all." It didn't take a rocket scientist to discern the obvious sarcasm in Asuka's voice.
"Then why are you here?"
"Let me ask you first. Shouldn't you have come home right after classes?"
"Normally, yes."
"And what the hell doesn't classify as normal for you, First Child!?! Nearly anything other than walking home or going to NERV for some reason or another. Plus, I can certainly bet that it would undoubtedly include teaching that wimp Ikari about being able to thrash in the water."
"So I was right. You knew after all...."
Asuka immediately closed the distance between herself and Rei, close enough to be considered violating personal space by most societal and legal norms, with her aqua eyes flaring. "Just exactly what are you doing teaching Shinji about swimming anyway?"
"He admitted to me that he was unable to do that. So I chose to help him in such an endeavor."
"Oh, so you weren't ordered to by the Commander or anyone else, hmm?" Again, Asuka's words dripped sarcasm, with a healthy dose of venom.
"No, I was not." In perfect contrast, Rei's voice remained calm and still. "Shinji was frustrated at his inability to swim. I felt compelled to aid him."
"Oh, it's Shinji now, is it? And exactly why wouldn't anyone tell me any of this?" Asuka demanded. "Answer me that one, Ayanami!"
Rei tilted her head at Asuka slightly, as if giving her a questioning look. "Did you ever ask him?"
"Wh...what was that!?!" the Second Child replied, her eyes narrowing as if being challenged.
"Did you ever ask Shinji about it?"
"Why the fucking hell should I have to ask him about it?" At this point, neither girl could really tell when the German-blooded female's temper would go over the edge.
"He seems reluctant to offer you any kind of talk, unless you bully it out of him, out of fear of being hurt. Such is my observation of your relationship with him."
"Relationship? Relationship? And just what would you know about relationships?"
"I know they exist. I have ones with NERV personnel, though those are mostly the same. I also have ones that are different in nature, such as those with Dr. Akagi, Commander Ikari, Shinji, the Evangelion, and you."
"Then what's your relationship with Shinji? Are you his girlfriend now?"
Rei cocked her eyebrow just a bit. "I...do not understand that term."
"Are you close to that moron?"
"Yes, but he is not a moron, as you call him."
Asuka slammed her fist into the wall near them. "To hell if he isn't! He's idiotic, a dork and a jerk! I'll bet anything he's only still a pilot because he's the Commander's son..."
Rei could feel a bit of impatience growing within herself, but refused to let the often emotionally brittle Third Child be verbally battered like this. "He is none of those labels to me. I do not treat him the same way you do. Also, we are treated no better than anyone else."
'God, I want to hurt this bitch so badly!' Sohryu complained mentally, but decided to continue the debate for now, feeling sure that she could beat the stoic pilot in front of her.
Ayanami then posed another question. "Why are you so interested in the bond that Shinji and I share?"
"Oh, so it's no longer a relationship, huh? You think it's some kind of...connection? Ugh! To him? You're crazy."
"Of what interest is it to you?" Rei repeated. "You live with him. Do you seek this level of connection as well?"
Asuka's only response to that was a bit of a wide-eyed stare.
"Or is the fact that my lessons with him take time away from him being around you, and as a result, no one to lash out at when you're feeling lonely?"
Now the redheaded femme was pissed. To an exponential degree simply because this was Rei picking out vulnerabilities. The Second Child's body chose to act before her mind, placing both hands against the First and giving her a rough shove, causing the smaller girl to stumble back into the wall.
Not one second had passed since contact with the wall before Asuka again closed the distance, flexing her hand and gritting her teeth. Rei kept a neutral face, despite grimacing just a little from the pain.
A silence passed between them. Unlike the ones shared between instructor and student, this was not one of awkwardness, but of tension and hostility.
Ayanami finally spoke, having a good clue about what the temperamental pilot's intentions were. "Don't."
Asuka did little more than show teeth. "And why not?"
"It would produce no positive results as pilots-"
"Horseshit! This isn't about the pilots known as the First and Second Child, nor Evangelion Units 00 and 02. This is about you and me."
"You are forgetting Shinji."
"Oh, no, I haven't forgotten his sorry ass, which will be mine after I'm through with you."
"Do not do this. It will not solve anything."
"Maybe not, but it'll certainly give me peace of mind."
Rei said nothing in response, so Asuka took the initiative.
"No more talk, you mindless doll..." With that, the first production-model Eva pilot cocked her fist with lightning speed and plunged it toward the face of whom she just labeled as a sort of toy.
Had the blow connected, serious damage would have been inflicted upon the left cheek as well as the jawbone. Alas, Asuka's fist was stopped short but an inch from Rei's face as she noted (with great surprise) that the First Child's hand had caught her tightened hand, clutching it to avoid being struck.
The surprise was but momentary as the aggressor noticed her supposed victim's blocking arm trembling. That clued the redhead in on the fact that while Rei had stopped her, she probably wasn't of any greater strength than her, if at all.
Three more shocks upon the Second Child happened consequentially afterward. First of all, Rei pushed back with her defending hand, causing Asuka's limb to fly back just enough to be out of harm's way before the assaulter regained control of her arm. Next, the often serene crimson eyes of the quiet girl flared, as if truly coming to life for the first time in her existence.
Insulting her Evangelion piloting skills was irrelevant. Verbally bashing her life was also insignificant in the sky-colored girl's world. Putting down one who deserved her care such as Shinji brought out strong defensive emotions from within her heart. But, above all else, no matter what others said, thought, or believed about her, Rei Ayanami would never tolerate such a stinging blow.
Finally did the third shock present itself to Asuka, in the form of a set of words from Rei that would prove to be the last words ever of them would utter for several hours.
"I am NOT a doll!"
-------
Around 7:00 p.m...
The evening's darkness was settling upon the secretive Tokyo-3, and Shinji wasn't being any different, laying upon the floor while attempting to do homework and watch a boring television show at the same time.
Shinji hadn't known the approximate time, however, until he actually glanced at a mechanical clock hung upon the wall.
'Asuka's not home yet...and Misato isn't either...that's odd.'
Sighing and deciding not to worry about Asuka's desire to talk, the young Ikari strode to the kitchen in a lazy manner and placed a thawed fish into Pen-Pen's dish, after which he turned off the television, gathered his homework, and placed it within his room to continue working there.
His anticipation paid off as a few minutes later saw the waddling penguin emerging from the miniature refrigerator space that was enough to be a sufficient resting space, the animal's stimulated scent and growling stomach driving it to its dinner. Needless to say, Pen-Pen was happy with Shinji's excellent timing, despite the fact that the boy apparently forgot to put out and open a can of beer to wash down the fish.
The Third Child found homework to be about as boring as the television show he had been watching, not that he remembered what he had been watching anyway, but he chose to stick it out. As a result, after another hour of brain-racking and tense concentration, the homework was completed, followed by a sigh of relief from Shinji.
'Looks like the day really is over...' he thought with a relaxing smile.
And yet, Ikari was dead wrong.
It all began with the shrill ringing of the phone. Shinji found himself scrambling to get to it, bumping his shin against a wall upon his journey to the kitchen. Upon picking up the cordless and connecting the call, he could easily hear heavy breathing over the other end. Whomever it was, they were exhausted.
"Hello?" the Third Child nervously called in greeting.
"Good, Shinji, you're home." This was the Major's powerful voice.
"Oh, hi, Misato. Good to hear from you."
"Thanks. I wish I could say the same, but..."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"I'll explain when I arrive there. Get dressed and wait outside for me. I'll be there in ten minutes." Misato not only sounded fatigued, but rushed as well.
"Umm, where are we going?"
"The hospital."
Shinji's eyes went wide. This was indeed important. "...Asuka?"
"Something like that...like I said, I'll tell you when I get there." With that, Misato promptly hung up the line.
Ikari chose not to listen to the droning this time, disconnecting his end of the line and hurriedly slipping on his shoes. Since he was given a ten-minute time limit, Shinji chose not to change clothes, preferring instead to remain in his school uniform as his feet swiftly carried him out the door and to the elevator.
Yet, while in the elevator, the mind began to wander just a little, flowing with the emotions of anxiety and worry.
'Why is Misato taking me to the hospital? Did something happen to Asuka? Or Rei? Maybe both? Or maybe Misato is mad at me...'
'Rei said she would -take care of it- if Asuka went after me again. What did she mean by that? Will she be harmed? I don't want Rei to be hurt because of me...'
'Asuka....why did you want to talk with me? Was it something serious, or did you just want to vent frustrations at me, like you often do? Or are you hurt because of something I did?'
'No! I can't get like this! I can't chicken out. I musn't run away!'
Fortunately, the descent down took very little time, so Shinji wasn't freaking out for too long before regaining his composure, stepping through the lobby area and to the outside, patiently awaiting the Major's arrival, as he had been instructed.
Ten minutes didn't do Misato's dark blue junker justice as it barreled itself towards the building, making a decent stop near Shinji, yet the move left some skid marks on the pavement.
With near-perfect timing, the passenger door swung open. "Come on," Misato said in a voice that sounded rather subdued, a great departure from her frantic talk earlier.
Obediently, Ikari stepped inside, shut the door, sat down, and fastened his seat belt as Misato did a 180 with the car and began a speedy, yet careful ride towards their intended destination.
"So...what's wrong? Did something happen to Asuka?" Shinji finally asked after feeling strong enough to handle Misato's current state.
"Asuka...got in a fight."
"A...fight...Asuka...?" Shinji felt rather stunned.
"Yes, a fight. Not the kind involving words that you two have, either. A physical fight, like those you have against the Angels."
"Is she ok?"
"Not emotionally, that's for sure. She's got...issues. Physically, she only sustained a few bruises and a black eye."
"Who else was involved?"
Misato didn't answer.
"Misato, who was Asuka fighting with...?"
Again, no response. Shinji had a really bad feeling about this now. He didn't want to know the answer, but he desired the truth.
"Misato, please, tell me.."
"It...it was Rei."
"Wh....what?"
"Yes, Shinji. Asuka got into a fight with Rei."
"But...Rei is so....fragile....why would Asuka do such a thing?"
"I don't know, yet. I plan on talking to her once we get there."
"And...how is Rei?"
Misato smiled. Somehow, her female intuition had figured on the boy feeling more sympathetic for the First Child, and that question proved the gut call. But her smile quickly changed back into a frown. "As far as I was told, her injuries are about as bad, possibly worse."
"They're....they're worse?"
"They could be worse, Shinji. Don't start jumping to conclusions, ok?"
"Alright, I...I promise."
Misato forced herself to give Shinji a gentle smile. "Good..." After that, the Major's voice trailed off as the conversation died right then and there, each person consumed in their own thoughts.
-------
A short while later, the purple-haired guardian and her charge arrived at the hospital ward specifically designed for NERV personnel. Due to the high rate of injury, it was common for any Eva pilot to spend a fair share of time here. But, as Shinji knew, this was normally due to accidents during operations, not when two of the pilots of such powerful and fearsome weapons had engaged in a brutal person-to-person fistfight.
Of course, the Third Child wasn't all that interested in making such comparisons as he and Misato proceed to the designated recovery rooms for the First and Second, respectively. Shinji had chosen to visit Rei first, focusing more on his worry for her well-being than the brimming anger he felt toward Asuka, whom Misato had chosen to question about the ordeal.
Soon enough, Shinji found Rei's room. Hoping no one else was around, he opened the door and slipped inside. His fear settled as he only noticed his tutor lying in bed, still in her school garb, like himself. She apparently seemed to be sleeping at first, but Shinji couldn't see very well, so he flipped on the light switch.
A gasp was heard as this action took place, causing Ikari to flinch a bit and take another look. Though her body was in a restful position, Ayanami's eyes were quite open. And those eyes soon found themselves upon those of her visitor.
"Ikari..."
Shinji needed no further encouragement to rush to her, taking a chair and seating himself at her side. Tears had welled up in his eyes, but he didn't care as he placed his head upon her and cried just a little. "I...I'm glad you're alright, Rei.."
However, his ears picked up on ragged breathing, which he responded to by looking up and seeing that Rei's eyes had closed, as well as her teeth gritted together. Judging by the look, the Third Child guessed that she was in pain, and that he was the reason behind it, causing him to lift his head back up and sob that much more. "I...I'm sorry....I'm really sorry!"
"No," Rei stated, trying her best to control her own reaction to avoid making Shinji cry any more than he was already. "It is not your fault."
Shinji quieted down a little to listen to her. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"It is not your fault that I am injured."
"But then why..."
"I'll show you." With that, Rei moved down the sheet covering her and casually lifted up just enough of her shirt to expose the lower half of her torso.
Initially, Shinji averted his eyes, embarrassed that at the First Child's apparent lack of modesty in revealing her body, like during his first time in her apartment. She hadn't blushed once during that encounter, simply having him get off of her and redressing as if nothing had happened.
This time, however, was a bit different, as Ayanmi's normally pale, yet beautiful skin showed a decent amount of discoloration over the right half of her ribcage.
"Is...this what hurts?" Shinji asked.
Rei chuckled softly, soft enough that Ikari didn't notice. 'He is slow at times, but that is not a flaw in itself,' she mused within her mind as she let her shirt back down and carefully moved up to a sitting position, wincing a bit in pain from the motion.
Shinji kept his eyes on her, and although he had stopped shedding tears, he was still full of worry. "How bad...how bad is it?"
"There was internal bleeding. It has been stopped, but I must stay here for a few days for testing." This was, of course, only a half-truth, though Rei really didn't know if Shinji could handle the other half.
"Oh...and the weekend is coming...so..."
"What?"
"You won't be around on Monday to instruct me, will you?"
"No. I am afraid not."
Shinji sighed. "It's ok...it was fun while it-"
"Pilot Sohryu will be my substitute on Monday."
That caused the Third Child's eyes to widen and look directly at her. "Wh....what?"
"Before you arrived, she and I had a discussion. We should have done so before our conflict, but it has already happened."
"Why...did she do it?"
"She was upset."
"Upset? At what? Me?"
"Yes, and no."
"What do you mean?"
"She was not upset at you, but rather the fact that she did not know of your circumstance which led me to teach you."
"I...never told her. But she never asked..."
"A point I brought up to her as well. After her temper settled, she came and let me know of her desire to also help you in this quest of yours to swim, in some capacity."
"In some capacity..?" Shinji repeated. "A compromise?"
"Yes. While I will not be around Monday, I shall resume attending school the day after, and again I shall aid you. But for that day, and as such will be so every week for the moment, Pilot Sohryu will be your instructor."
"I...I'm..." Try as he might, Ikari couldn't exactly try to figure out an appropriate response.
At that time, the door opened and Misato stepped inside. "Shinji."
The Third Child looked immediately at his caretaker. "Y-Yes?"
"Let's go."
Yet, Shinji hadn't yet finished talking to Rei. "Can I have another minute or so?"
Katsuragi nodded. "Of course. I'll be waiting outside." She then slid the door shut, leaving the two children alone together once again.
Shinji looked back to Rei, noticing that her eyes were a little bloodshot. "I...I guess you're feeling a bit tired."
"Yes. I will sleep soon."
"Oh...ok. Well, I guess Asuka's ready, so I guess I'll be going..." Shinji replied, slowly standing and turning to leave the room.
"Wait."
Ikari pivoted around again and gave the girl a questioning look. "I...uh, is something wrong, Rei?"
Her only response was to pat the side of her bed. "Please, sit down."
Shinji started blushing quickly, but did as she had asked, keeping one leg on the floor to remain balanced. However, as he gazed upon her still face, he realized just how unable he truly was to decipher anything from her features. Yet the young Ikari liked it that way, because he felt safe around the introverted First Child, as if she would protect him no matter what happened.
To neither one's surprise, a silence ensued. But where the previous ones were long and uneasy, this one lasted for only a few seconds as each pilot lost themselves in the other's captivating gaze, after which Rei crept her arms up and around Shinji's chest and back, pulling him to her in a tight, but gentle embrace.
The cheeks of the Third Child were even redder now, but it didn't stop him from holding her in return. She felt soft against his body and it made him smile. That wasn't the only surprise in store for him, however, as Rei, being as silent as an assassin, placed her lips upon his cheek and gently kissed the warm skin.
Shinji froze when he began to feel all this. 'Is....is this real?' he wondered, not knowing whether his mind would cause him to faint or panic. Thankfully, the momentary fear passed as Rei separated herself from him very slowly.
"Thank you," she whispered into his ear. The sound of her voice so close to him made Ikari's spine tingle.
"...for what?" Shinji asked.
Rei removed her arms from him and laid back down upon the bed. "For caring," she answered, giving him another of her peaceful smiles. The smile then faded as the First Child closed her eyes and relaxed herself in an effort to fall asleep.
Shinji nodded. "Always, Rei..." He then let himself out, being as quiet as possible, knowing that rest would be important for her, while also making a mental note to check up on her in a couple of days.
Naturally, Misato was waiting in the hallway, getting up from her chair as the Third Child exited Ayanami's room. "Everything alright?" she inquired.
"Mm-hmm," Shinji replied, looking down both sides of the hallway. "Hey...where's Asuka?"
"She's waiting in the car," the Major said as she dusted herself off and slipped on her jacket. "Let's roll."
-------
The trip home proved to be uneventful, as neither the driver nor her pair of passengers chose to talk about anything in regard to the transpirings of the day. Not even the Second Child, who normally was quite the chatterbox for purposes of either getting on Ikari's nerves or bragging about herself, was oddly quiet.
Asuka, as Shinji had discovered, hadn't been as badly damaged in the scuffle. Though a rather noticeable shiner was seen upon her right eye, nowhere else on her body seemed to have incurred any injury. To insure proper healing, the NERV medical staff had wrapped some bandages as well as a pad over the eye. As a result, it made her look a bit like Rei when Shinji had first met her.
Within an hour, they arrived home and were in their respective rooms. Misato, of course, had herself a few drinks before entering into a noisy slumber. Asuka had simply stormed off without a word or even a nasty look.
Shinji, however, found it difficult to fall asleep, as his brain was alive with random thoughts about today...
'So Rei is going to be okay. I'm glad she's alright.'
'But, did I cause her to have this pain? Or was it pain she chose to take for me?'
'And as for Asuka, she didn't say a word to me on the way home. Does this mean she didn't want to talk to me, like in her note?'
'Is she upset with me? Or maybe disgusted with me?'
'Misato didn't seem particularly pleased, either. Or maybe she just wanted to break habit in drinking a few more beers than usual?'
'I wish I could just fall asleep...these thoughts are really-'
"Hey."
Startled, Shinji yelped and sat up immediately, looking frantically for the source of the disturbance. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light seeping in through the window, allowing him to recognize Asuka's bandages and face, as well as her position of kneeling on the floor. He also quickly realized that he felt sweaty from his restlessness as he wiped some moisture from his brow.
"Oh, hi, Asuka."
"We never did talk, you know." Surprisingly, Asuka's tone was rather subdued. Whether it was because of the fight, or simply because she didn't feel like waking Misato up, Shinji didn't know.
"W-well...I thought you just wanted to go to sleep."
"The weekend's coming up, dork. There'll be plenty of time for sleeping in." By this time, Asuka had gone from being on her knees to sitting cross-legged.
"Um, so...well, is it true?"
"Is what true? If you mean that Wondergirl and I fought, of course it is."
"No...I already knew about that."
"What did you want to know then, hmm?" Asuka had a bit of a leer on her face at this point.
"Are you really going to take over for Rei on Monday?"
In an instant did the Second Child's face become rather embarrassed at her outburst. "That's right." But she got a smirk back on her face in no time flat. "And don't expect me to go easy on you, Shinji Ikari!"
Shinji couldn't help but laugh, just a little. "I wouldn't think you'd be any other way, Asuka."
Words then ceased being spoken between the two pilots for a few moments before Asuka posed a question. "So...why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"You know, that you couldn't swim."
"I guess.....well, I guess just because you never asked me."
"I'm not surprised," Asuka said, scoffing as she slowly rose to her feet. "But while this little talk has been fun, I'm now in need of rest, since: one, I'm fatigued; and two, this stinging black eye Wondergirl laid upon me. You wouldn't know it from the look of her, but she can throw a hell of a cross."
"I never knew that about her."
"And you never will, as long as you don't call her a doll. That's the real reason why we fought, you know."
Shinji felt a tad shocked. "You called her a...doll?"
"Well, who wouldn't, with the way she acts so damned emotionless and blindly obedient?" Asuka pondered.
The Third Child gave her a bit of a skeptical look as she looked back to him while at his doorway, which offended her a bit. "Well, I know you wouldn't, idiot! She's different around you."
"Yeah, I know...it feels....nice..."
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I don't need to hear about that, Shinji. Now go to bed and save your strength. You're gonna need it."
With that, she shut the door to his room and promptly entered her own, nearly falling asleep the instant she hit the floor. 'At least he wasn't being a pervert...'
As for Shinji, he slowly slid back down and slipped on the earphones of his SDAT before covering himself with his bed sheet and activating the music device, seeing as how his mind was too scrambled at the moment from trying to think about everything that had occurred in this day, preferring instead to drown it out to the sound of the music.
Not that it stopped him from having the erotic dreams.....for now.
-------End of Chapter Three
Post-Chapter Author's Notes: Right off the bat here, I'll apologize for taking three weeks or so to get this story created and posted, instead of my average two. No real excuse, it just took me longer than I thought. Besides, you try to create a civil, meaningful conversation between Shinji and Asuka and keep a straight face, as well as keeping in line with the characters. :-P
Random thoughts commencing...
-The line Asuka spoke in regard to catching footage that would basically disprove any attempt by Shinji to deny it was inspired by the hit PS2 game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The original quote, from Otacon to Snake, was as follows, during the Tanker chapter after Snake made it to the holds: "Now, do your thing and take pictures that speak louder than the government's plausible denials." With some modification, it's all fit for Asuka to use.
-I don't know where in hell the note scene came from. I guess I just thought it would make sense to put that sort of thing into a story like this. It works with two people as reserved as Shinji and Rei, after all. :-D
-Yes, I did make Rei more talkative than before. She's evolving, what can I say? :-) However, I do enjoy writing dialogue with her involving a little quirk I hadn't picked up on until later on in the series, that, like Data (of Star Trek: TNG fame), she tends not to use contractions.
-Additionally, I know I put a lot of moments of silence in this story. Hell, I might be overdoing it. However, it was often used in the series as well, and it served to send messages, as well as teach viewers to be patient. Oh, and by the way, now that I have The End, I know how it all turned out, though I'm still trying to make heads and tails of it. Though it has inspired me for possible later stories.
And as for next time...
-Will Asuka seize her opportunity in the spotlight as temporary swim instructor to Shinji?
-Are either girl's injuries possibly more severe than either of them revealed?
-And, finally, will any NERV staff other than Misato and the pilots get a part in this story?
Only time will tell in the next chapter: My Turn, Wondergirl!
Chapter Three: The Frail Heart/A Scuffle
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and its characters are property of GAINAX and ADV Films. I don't own them, nor do I intend to utilize them for any profitable purposes. Simply the purpose of writing entertainment.
Pre-Chapter Author's Note: Looks like viewing Death & Rebirth has left me reeling, as well as hungering to see how the whole situation resolves in The End. It's funny, too...how one can have so many ideas and be able to keep elaborating in the weirdest of time. At work...pacing around at home, bored...or when trying to sleep. All these times seem to be my most creative periods, when I can actually think storylines for these ideas through within the recesses of my mind. At current count, in a notebook where I jot possible ideas down, I currently have...about 30-some ideas or so for stories. Not all of them Eva-based, however, and this story isn't included in those ideas, as this was one I started writing before jotting down as a note.
Now, on with this odyssey...
Oh, and again, I'll insert this into every chapter from now on, to make sure the readers remember:
"This indicates spoken dialogue."
'An indicator of thought.'
And this is when something is written down.
Let's see, last time we left our cast, the first day's lesson was over, and Shinji had gone to bed dreaming of his tutor, Rei Ayanami, whom he also now thought of as a woman...
-------
A new day had dawned upon the city of Tokyo-3, and Shinji Ikari couldn't have felt more relaxed. The previous night's rest had been rather different from those that had come before, and both his mind and body felt truly ready for the hardships and adventures of a new day. Adventures meaning whatever Rei might choose to teach him today in the pool. Hardship, of course, referred to any and every second around Asuka.
Fortunately, that time wasn't now, as the Third Child quietly assembled a lunch for himself, as well as one for his newly found swim instructor, that being Rei Ayanami.
'Well, it's often said that the first day is the hardest,' he thought to himself while trying his best to keep his mind on the preparation of the food, and not losing his mind over Misato's rather loud snoring. She usually wasn't this loud when she slept.
'She probably just had more to drink than usual. But, then again, what's her limit, anyway?'
Shinji chuckled at that thought, wondering if Misato ever really got in a truly drunken state anymore and dismissed the thought just as quickly.
And then there was the note that he had seen on the table last night. From Asuka, no less. He still couldn't figure out what she might want in talking with him. 'Since when did she ever want to talk?' Shinji pondered. But he decided to give it a chance. There were times when she wasn't such a bitch, after all. And it could be rather nice during those rare times that she smiled without the slightest hint of anger or arrogance. Not to mention that he probably wouldn't be able to avoid her completely anyway, since they lived together.
After a short while, Shinji concluded with making the lunches he would need for the day, and, as an afterthought, inserted his cell phone into his pack, just in case someone chose to try and reach him, whether it be Kensuke to gossip, Asuka to rant, or Rei...
'Hell,' the Third Child admitted to himself, 'Rei's the only reason I'm carrying it.' He saw no point in denying that to himself. She had given him a rather decent conversation the previous night, and it felt quite stimulating. Like eating a food you like that you hadn't eaten in a long time.
A prodding upon his leg informed Shinji of Pen-Pen's presence. The poke tickled, making Shinji laugh just a little as he made his way to the fridge and retrieved a thawed fish for the little guy to much on.
"Here you go," Ikari said, setting the fish into the penguin's bowl. In response, Pen-Pen completely forgot about Shinji and dove his beak into the fish with a ravenous hunger that only Toji could possibly match.
The Third Child took in the funny scene for a few moments before slipping his shoes on as well as his pack, and departing the apartment, with newfound confidence. But it was still early in the day...
-------
Since Shinji had left early today, when Toji and Kensuke arrived , they had to ring the buzzer repeatedly and deal with a half-sleepy Misato doing her best not to fall over from either fatigue or being hung over, possibly both.
"Man, that sucked!" Kensuke complained as the two of them hurried towards school to make up for the lost time trying to figure out the Major. "Not only is Shinji not there, but Misato was all tipsy!"
Toji laughed aloud as they jogged, seeing as how walking wouldn't get them there any quicker. "Oh, you know you'd have wanted her anyway if we weren't going to be so damn late."
"Yeah, but Shinji would still protest, saying all that stuff about her being a slob and such."
"Who cares?" Toji replied. "She's a fucking babe!"
"You got that right." Kensuke then hastily adjusted his bag so that his camera didn't fall out. Choosing common sense over foolishness, he had chosen to leave the camera within his notebooks, since they were in such a hurry. "So, the question is, why wasn't Ikari there..?"
"Ahh, 50 bucks says he'd rather walk with Ayanami, and you know it."
"Maybe...but are you going to give him a hard time about it?" Kensuke asked.
Toji couldn't help but grin before answering that question. "Hell yeah! Until either you or I find a girl to hang out with like he does. Geez, Shinji's so lucky."
"Not that he ever realizes it."
"Yeah," Toji stated in agreement. "He is kinda clueless like that, isn't he?"
"Maybe, but it's also part of his charm."
Toji scoffed. "Hah! That's your opinion."
"I bet you'd change that opinion if he went and asked Hikari out." Kensuke knew that had a good chance of annoying his friend.
It worked, namely with Toji nearly stopping in his tracks and blushing his cheeks off. "Eh-uh...the class rep? No way, dude! No possible way. Besides, you've seen how he's been literally staring at Rei in class. I could swear that Shinji's got a thing for her."
"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we?" Kensuke inquired as they entered the school, noting that they had a few precious minutes.
"Something like that...."
-------
Class was as boring as almost everyone had come to expect nowadays. Again, the sensei droned on about the horrors and repercussions of Second Impact. Hence, the students were engaged in more or less usual boredom activities, which consisted of mostly typing messages on the laptops, the girls gossiping even more then Kensuke.
At least, this was what most of the students were doing. Hikari was the only student paying any real attention to the lesson, just so she could give everyone else grief later. Toji and Kensuke could have been easily seen Rock, Paper, Scissors as well as Thumb War, if the sensei ever actually looked at his students. Asuka had fallen asleep, not even bothering to throw more than a single nasty glare at Shinji before nodding off. Rei was gazing out the window again, despite her break in behavior yesterday.
Sadly, Shinji was the only bored student who wasn't really doing anything to kill time. He just slouched a bit in his seat and stared blankly at his laptop screen, wondering if he should take after Asuka's example and engage in a quiet nap. It was then that he noticed a piece of notebook paper upon his desk, folded in half twice.
'Another writing from Asuka?' Shinji wondered. 'No, she's out cold...'
Feeling a bit better at having something to do, the Third Child opened up the note and read the single line written upon the looseleaf paper:
Are you disinterested in class, Shinji?
The handwriting was Rei's. Needless to say, Shinji wasn't totally surprised. But he also knew he should respond quickly, which he did and then proceeded to pass it back to Rei.
Yeah, considering the -truth- about Second Impact. I didn't know you passed notes.
Because he didn't dare look at her and risk any heckling at the moment, Shinji simply extended his arm in her general direction. He felt the paper leave his hand and quickly retreated his arm.
A few moments later, the note reached his desk top again.
Talking seems to be out of place at the moment, as does the messages on the screens. This is more...private.
Shinji was thankful that this was private, so far. He had to be careful about it, since he knew how note-passing could easily go wrong, were it to fall into improper hands, namely the sensei's, Toji's, Kensuke's, Hikari's, or most especially, Asuka's. Besides, writing seemed easier at times to Shinji, when he couldn't easily voice his thoughts.
As long as we're cautious.
Every time the First Child's hand touched that of the Third Child, he could swear he felt a spark, as if being touched by a downed power line. It made him feel a bit livelier than before.
We will not be noticed. Did you bring your gear?
The gear, of course, referring to the trunks.
Of course. Can we eat lunch together again? I made one just for you.
This writing was quickly calming Shinji's nerve-racked mind.
I would like to do that with you very much.
And, of course, blushing on both of the writers' cheeks was natural.
Thank you, Rei.
Shinji felt like he could do this for a long while.
And I thank you as well, Shinji. See you on the rooftop.
Unfortunately, not long after the Third Child read that final note did the bells ring, signaling lunchtime for everyone after the class rep had everyone stand and bow before the sensei.
Little did the two of them, or anyone else, realize that a pair of eyes had indeed caught them in their activity....
-------
Two minutes later, Asuka's eyes fluttered open after her sleep had been disturbed by a hand shaking her shoulder. Her temper immediately flared up as she grabbed the offending hand, prepared to slap the assailant, namely because she was damned sure it was Shinji, trying to offer some kind of apology.
"Asuka?"
The Second Child's restraint kicked in once she noticed that it had only been Hikari waking her up. "Oh, it's you."
"I-I'm sorry," Hikari apologized. "I didn't startle you, did I?"
Asuka quickly sighed and sat back, feeling a slight cramp in her back. "No, I just thought it was the dork."
"Which one?" Hikari asked, giggling.
Asuka couldn't help but grin. 'Well, at least she can cheer me up.' But as she looked around, her blue eyes noted no sign of whom she had originally been searching for.
"Hey, Hikari.."
The class rep quickly gave her a wondrous look after setting their food upon Asuka's desk. "Hmm?"
"You haven't seen Shinji, have you?" Asuka inquired.
"Not since he took off a minute ago or so," was Hikari's reply.
"Well, where did he go!?!" The Second Child pounded her fist on the desk, feeling herself getting angry again, wanting to wallop Shinji good for disappearing on her.
"I don't know, Asuka." The class rep quickly sat down and handed some of her home-cooked food to the redhead, putting on a good face, though inside she was a bit terrified.
'If I really did see what I thought I saw earlier, she'll be pissed,' Hikari thought. 'And that doesn't even include yesterday..at the pool...'
Fortunately for the brown-haired schoolgirl, Asuka went after the food right away, munching down as if she hadn't eaten for ages. It looked rather humorous, but at least it wasn't provoking laughter, and thus, putting the Second Child on edge again. Hikari decided not to worry about what she had seen for the moment and also began to eat.
Since they were eating, the two of them paid no attention to anything else. that is, until Toji accidentally raised his voice.
"So he really went up there with her?"
Asuka's eyes widened, but she continued to eat, letting her ears do the work, thinking that they might slip a detail about Shinji's whereabouts. Her guess was about to pay off...
"Shh." Kensuke quickly put a finger to his mouth and took a drink out of his bottle. "People will hear you. And, yes, he did!"
"Ikari? No fucking way!" Toji exclaimed as quietly as he could, biting into his sandwich to try and mask the chatter. But Asuka knew better as she neither batted an eye nor threw a glare in their direction. As long as she let them run their mouths, she'd get the information she wanted.
"Yeah, he did. She sort of asked him to, and he went with it. After I coaxed him, of course." Kensuke continued, grinning.
"What do you mean, sort of, dude? Did she or didn't she ask him?"
"She left him a note before heading to the roof."
"Ohhh, man, he is so lucky!" Toji said after hearing that, feeling both slightly jealous and partially thankful for Shinji at the same time.
"And after that, he met her at the pool again."
"Again? What do you mean, again?"
"Well, remember a couple days ago?" Kensuke's voice was a bit lower now that he had finished his food, but that didn't stop Asuka from eating slowly, not even paying attention to Hikari, who was lost in a daydream.
"Yeah, what about it?" Toji asked, reclining in his seat. Then his expression changed as he understood what Kensuke was getting at. "Ohhh...so that was what Ayanami wanted to talk to him about?"
Asuka ate a little louder. 'I knew Wondergirl had something to do with this!'
"I don't know what it was about. And Shinji hasn't said why he went there that day, or yesterday, for that matter," Kensuke answered while fiddling with his camera.
"He went there yesterday, too?"
"Yeah. He even asked me to keep you-know-who off of him." With that, Kensuke gestured over to the Second Child, who had to chew just a bit harder to keep herself in check.
"Whoooaa...didn't think you were that gutsy, having to get involved with her."
Kensuke chuckled. "It was nothing, really. I just paid a classmate from the camera club to pretend to bully me up and run off with some of my money." He then sighed. "I had to forfeit that money to Asuka, though, after she caught the guy and almost broke his jaw."
Asuka quickly made a mental note to herself to get Kensuke back for that little stunt, despite the decent share she'd received from catching the so-called thief.
"I'm sorry, dude. I should've been there to back you up."
"Naah," Kensuke replied, "It's alright. For Shinji's sake, it was worth it. Besides, after the whole ordeal, I snuck back to the pool to find out what was going on with him and Rei."
"So, what was it?" Toji inquired.
'Yes, indeed, what was it?' Asuka wondered.
"They were in the pool together."
"You mean they were making out in the pool!?!" Toji cried, letting his voice raise a little.
After quieting Suzuhara back down, Kensuke went on. "Not from what I could see. Rei was more or less trying to keep Shinji from flopping like a fish the whole time."
"Well, I suppose that makes sense. He did say he couldn't swim..."
'The idiot can't swim? He never told me that!' This time, Asuka wasn't feeling as angry, because it somehow did make sense, though she didn't care to figure out why.
"...hey, wait a sec, are you saying Rei's tutoring him?" Toji questioned, raising an eyebrow at his friend.
"That's what I'm guessing," Kensuke replied.
"Man...she's teaching him how to swim AND he gets to be close to her the whole time! Is anyone as lucky as Ikari is?"
"And don't forget being an Eva pilot, to boot. Hell, Shinji's luckier than loaded dice."
Both Kensuke and Toji broke out into laughter over that remark for a short while. After the commotion died down, Kensuke glanced upward. "Heh, looks like they're up there again."
Toji followed his friend's lead in a not too subtle fashion, craning his neck and face so he didn't have to adjust his sitting position. Sure enough, his view could make out the unmistakable features of both Shinji and Rei, and although they were a good distance away, it could be easily inferred that they were enjoying each other's company.
"Wow," Suzuhara said while in a daze, "you ain't kidding..."
That only furthered Asuka's building rage. 'That jerk! How dare he eat with her again and not with ME?' Yet, she kept her cool.
"Think they'll be at the pool again today?" Toji wondered.
"Oh, you bet they will!"
At this point, Asuka was nearly ready to storm over to the two Stooges and knock their asses from one end of Tokyo-3 to the other. Not to mention how badly she wanted to drop in on Shinji and Rei's little gathering.
After a few moments, a devilish smile crossed her face. 'Let the idiot and his doll have their fun,' she thought as she finished her food. 'I'll have mine later.'
And so did today's lunch progress, with wandering thoughts, playful daydreams, and the lone redhead, masterminding her vengeance...
-------
For the rest of the day, classes were as uneventful as usual. Needless to say, the students were excited once the bells rang and the class rep dismissed them.
Toji and Kensuke could easily have been the most joyous, seeing as how the weekend was coming forth after this day. "YEE-HAH!" they yelled in unison, giving each other a hig-five, then hastily packing their books and papers. Shinji also had a satisfied look on his face, though his packing was slower, more organized.
"So, Shinji, enjoy your lunch with Rei?" Toji asked in a teasing manner as he slung his pack over hid shoulder.
"Yep," was the Third Child's simple answer.
Suzuhara felt a bit taken by surprise. Shinji was never usually this calm when talking about Ayanami in this manner!
"And I bet you're going to head for the pool again, aren't you?" Kensuke questioned in a follow-up response.
"Something like that," Shinji said as he closed up his backpack. "Why, are you guys going to stop by?"
That caused Toji and Kensuke to crack up for a few moments. "Naah, Rei's all yours, dude!" Kensuke called with a grin as the duo waved to Shinji and promptly departed.
Shinji couldn't help but chuckle to himself. 'Thanks, guys. Thanks for understanding,' he thought as his body moved itself off to the pool area for his second session.
'It...feels so nice to be around Rei like this. Maybe Toji and Kensuke were right after all...'
Shinji then hoped today wouldn't be as embarrassing as yesterday's introductory lesson. But, then again, he figured, the first time was always a rather unusual experience. So had things been with piloting Unit 01, and although it didn't provoke nearly as much fear, the session with Rei hadn't been an exception to that rule. Yet, for all the embarrassment he had suffered, Shinji also believed he had gotten through probably one of the biggest hurdles in taking that first step.
Also, despite how much he felt like denying it, a small part of him couldn't deny that his closeness to the First Child that day had felt rather delightful, a sort of soothing for only his shaky nerves.
'It's so....euphoric. I....Do I like this...?' Shinji pondered while lost in his mind for a few minutes.
A weird feeling near his legs caused him to look down and yelp as his cheeks went red, as he noticed a bulge within the pants of his uniform. Though Shinji kept walking, he casually held the backpack with one arm, trying to cover the obvious erection from view.
'Geez, that's embarrassing as hell,' Shinji thought as he hurried his steps over to the pool. 'I hope no one saw that...'
Of course, though the Third Child didn't know it, someone had seen this. Of course, this person did what she could to remain out of any possible sight of Shinji, though it wasn't necessary, due to how abnormally dense Shinji could be at times.
'The dork wouldn't expect me to sneak around like this, after all!' That thought brought a smirk to Asuka's face as she silently continued to stalk her daydreaming prey...
-------
Stillness was the dominating factor in the view of the First Child as her body drifted along the surface of the pool water. Every now and then, a stroke or two to keep her afloat, but for the most part, the ceiling was what her eyes focused on as she waited for her student.
'No,' Rei thought. 'Shinji is more than just a student...he is a friend...a fellow pilot....someone whom shows care for me in ways no one else would. Ways that are foreign in my life, and yet....they also feel quite nice. I feel like I can be more than what I show to others around him. Does he truly bring this out from within me?'
Noises emanating at a distance from her, as well as a slight cry of pain accompanied by a slight curse, indicated the Third Child's arrival.
Rei let herself smile just a little, having to keep from giggling. 'Yes...Ikari also makes me laugh...something only he has ever done.' Knowing Shinji would be out shortly, the First Child began to move herself to the edge of the pool, near where she had two large towels spread out on the tiled floor to lay on, as well as a pair of small towels to dry hair off with. She had found this arrangement to be useful when she swam alone, and hoped Shinji would find it to his liking as well.
Soon enough, the Third Child jogged over to her and sat down upon a towel, partially out of breath, which caused Rei to ask him, "What is wrong?"
"Huh?" Shinji gave Rei a rather dumbfounded look, but realized what she was talking about. "Nothing. I just didn't want you to wait that long, so I ran. Kinda tripped in the process, too."
"Are you injured?" Rei inquired.
Shinji shook his head. "Just startled me, that's all."
"That is good. Then we can proceed." As she said this, her hands met Shinji's, and the boy felt an object pressed into his hands.
"What..?" he wondered, looking down and seeing the object he was now holding, which turned out to be a pair of goggles. "What are these for?"
"Yesterday, you learned how to exist in water. Today, I shall help you experience the sensation of being under the water. The eyepiece will let you see what lies beneath, without giving you a terrible eyesore."
"Th-thanks, Rei.." Shinji slightly stammered as he slipped the goggles on, noticing that the lenses were made of dark-colored material, hence dimming his view once the eyepieces fit into place. He then quickly stepped into the pool with her, feeling a slight chill run up his spine as his body once again immersed itself.
"You are not so nervous today, I see," the First Child stated, noting the rather calmed manner in which her student stepped in and waded around.
"Yeah," Shinji responded, beaming with a bit of confidence.
Rei smiled at him just a little. 'Perhaps today will go better....'
-------
Meanwhile, not more than a couple hundred feet away, Kensuke Ida found himself struggling in a headlock, trying to make noise in protest. The attacker had given no warning before jumping him from behind not long after the boy had decided to split from Toji for the day and check up on Shinji. And whomever it was, they were quite good, applying just enough pressure to make him think twice before doing crying out. Hence, his squirming was rather quiet, though full of half-assed attempts to eascape.
Soon, though, Kensuke felt a movement and quickly figured out not only that the attacker's face was close to his own, but also whom it was that had gotten to him.
A feminine voice whispered into his ear, "I heard about your little stunt the other day. If you want to avoid another incident, you'll do what I tell you." The girl then squeezed her arms just a bit tighter around Ida's head. "Got it!?!"
"Got it! Got it! Let me go, dammit!" Kensuke managed to spit out before the assailant released her grip on him, causing him to fall to the floor. Once he gathered his bearings, he sat himself up and looked at the girl's face. "Geez, Asuka, why did you have to do that?"
Asuka quickly got her zero-to-sixty angry look in less than a second and proceeded to grab him by the collar and haul him back up to his feet, keeping him against the wall. "That, as I said, was for yesterday's little faked pounding." She then beckoned with a hand. "Now, unless you want to find out what a real pounding is like, fork over that camera!"
Kensuke knew Toji might call him a wuss for giving in to Asuka like this, but as he handed the camera to the redhead, he was moreso worried about what she planned to do with it in regard to Shinji.
Asuka quickly looked the camera over. "There is a working disc in here, right?"
"Y-yes, of course, there always is..."
The Second Child then smirked. "Good! Now I'll just shoot this little session and it'll speak volumes over any lame excuse he tries to give me." With that, Asuka activated the device, centered her eye in the viewpiece, and pointed it right out at the two unsuspecting pilots in the water, being damn sure to use the zoom feature to ensure that the whole thing was caught by this footage.
Kensuke, noting that her attention seemed to be focused on Shinji and Rei, started to tiptoe out of the office room that he and Asuka were in.
"Better stay in that seat, Kensuke, unless you want me to keep your precious recorder!" Asuka threatened, pointing with one finger exactly upon the chair he had just been sitting in, never taking her gaze from the eyepiece.
Kensuke sighed and sat himself back down, knowing Asuka hit a nerve in that he would never really give up that camera for anything. It was part of his life and identity, after all.
"That little dork!" Asuka muttered to himself while keeping close watch on Rei and Shinji's activity. "Never told me he couldn't swim..." she continued as her mumbling dropped in volume, allowing Kensuke to at least let his guard down a bit as he slipped out his homework.
'Looks like I'm stuck here, for the moment,' Ida thought to himself as he slipped out his homework as quietly as possible. 'Better make pointful use of the time.'
-------
As before, after 2 hours' time, the lesson was concluded, and the First and Third Children went their respective ways to change into their regular clothing.
"Looks like the lovebirds' time is over," Asuka declared, stopping the recording and casually popping the video disc out of its casing, handing the camera itself to Kensuke afterward, who was halfheartedly engaged in a difficult math assignment.
"I'll just hang on to this for safekeeping and possible extortion!" the Second Child then exclaimed, slipping the aforementioned disc into her bag and giving Kensuke a rather silly, though still treacherous, smirk. "You understand, of course, don't you?"
"Um, yeah..." Kensuke replied with shaky resolve while trying to stow away his textbooks.
"Good boy!" Asuka exclaimed, slinging her bag over her shoulder and moving for the door. "That takes care of Shinji," she then muttered as she left, "now for Wondergirl...sayonara, Stooge!"
Kensuke could finally breathe a sigh of relief after she left. 'Thank God that's over with,' he mused as he inspected his recorder to make sure Asuka didn't damage it in any way. Knowing how she'd needed it so much to capture footage of Shinji and Rei together, it was an easily made assumption that the camera wasn't damaged. That didn't stop the tan-haired voyeur from checking it out anyway, out of pure paranoia.
Fortunately, the device was still in as good of condition as it had been when she started recording. 'Thank God she's only bitchy and vengeful, not destructive.'
The noise of footsteps prompted Kensuke to slide out of his chair and take a knee as he observed through the opened office doorway the tutor and her student walking off together. He hadn't made too much noise, or so his brain kept telling him as his heart raced, hoping he wasn't seen by them. That would be a tad embarrassing for the smallest Stooge.
After several long moments passed, the footsteps faded, and Kensuke finally stood back up, resuming on his action to pack his things. Once he was done ensuring all his supplies were packed in properly, he pulled out a cell phone and dialed up a number.
The line was picked up, and a voice came over the receiver. "mm..hello?"
"Toji!" Kensuke exclaimed, in a whispering voice, despite the fact that there was no one around to eavesdrop. "It's me!"
"Uhnnn...Kensuke...what time is it?" Toji asked, groggy from having his nap interrupted by this sudden call.
"Only a couple of hours since school," Ida answered.
"Aww, geez. I was trying to take a nap, dude!" Needless to say, Toji was a tad annoyed at this.
"Sorry about that, but you just gotta hear this!"
"It had better be worth it.."
"It is. Trust me, Toji!"
-------
Not long after departing from school, Ikari and Ayanami found themselves walking the Tokyo-3 streets alongside one another, rarely any conversation ensuing, as was often the case. Just because Shinji had managed to overcome an obstacle or two on his way towards learning the skill of swimming didn't mean he was any less scared. And although these lessons were giving him yet another sense of closeness to the mysterious First Child that few could fathom, it was nevertheless dangerous territory to tread upon for a psyche as fragile as his.
Thankfully for Shinji, Rei decided to break the all too common silence between them. "Today's lesson went well."
Shinji turned his face to gaze at her as they continued upon their journey. "You really think so?"
"Yes. You seem well-adjusted to being within the water now."
"Thank you, Rei. It means a lot, coming from you."
The First Child's only response to that was a slight nod as she halted in her tracks.
Shinji stopped as well, a bewildered look upon his features at her. "Wh-why did you stop?"
Her answer was simple. "This is where our paths separate."
As a consequence, Shinji indeed examined the intersection they were at and deduced that indeed they would now have to go different ways to get to their respective homes.
"Oh....um, yeah, of course!" he said, managing a nervous laugh as she waited for a walk light. But he still felt compelled to keep going with her. "Um, Rei..."
"What is it?" Neither her face nor stance altered to meet the eyes of the Third Child.
"I....um.....err...." Yet again, Shinji just couldn't figure out what he wanted to tell her. 'God, why is this so damn hard?'
Without warning, the walk light displayed itself, and so Rei began to step off the curb and onto the street. Oddly, Shinji's mind freaked just a bit as his hand shot out and gently took her shoulder. "Hold on..."
This time, the First Child did turn around to face him, her crimson eyes meeting his frightened look. 'I do not understand,' she thought, 'why does he look so worried?'
The look continued for a few more seconds before Shinji finally acted, pulling her towards him and bringing his arms around her body in a rather sudden, but well-meaning hug.
As for Rei, her mind was alive with shock. 'Is this...affection he is bestowing? This is unexpected...but...it feels so positive...'
Fortunately, the body seemed to be a bit more on track then the mind as her own arms found their way across Shinji's sides and back, completing the embrace and causing a realization of how warm it felt to be holding someone.
Of course, many good things must end, and so did this occasion, after a couple minutes of silence, neither one wanting to end the moment so soon, nor admit to such a desire. But eventually, their arms came apart, and they were soon back to standing closely together, so close, in fact, they each could almost feel the other's breath upon them.
Rei then took a step back, her cheeks going red. "I must be going now."
Shinji felt a bit embarrassed himself, but also more at ease now that he had actually tried to connect with her, just a little. "Take care, Rei. See you on Monday?"
Once again, Ikari's stomach was full of butterflies as Ayanami showed another of her petite, but heartwarming smiles.
"Yes," was her response. "Take care....Shinji." With that, she then spun on her heel and calmly walked across the street, towards her place of living.
The young Ikari felt even more dazed than previous times when he and the blue-haired girl had shared a close moment, standing at the curb for many silent seconds. Afterward, his thoughts found a reason to snap him out of his stupor.
'I can't forget that Asuka wanted to talk to me today...but about what?'
Shinji wasn't really worried, but with the redhead, he always had to be on guard. So he decided to take his trip home nice and slow.
-------
Mechanical noise. Pistons, gears, axels, and pumps, all operating in clumsy, monotonous motion. Such was the norm in the neighborhood of the First Child.
'Why do I live here?' she wondered as her inner monologue once again presided over her mental awareness during these travels, more or less dulling her senses to the point of nonexistence as her feet carried her towards home on their own, as if it were second nature.
'Is this just a place to exist? A place of...identity?'
'What is home? Is where I live home? Home is a base of one's self, one's identity, isn't it? Yet, my home has little. Only what I need. What is need? Need is that which we deem we must have. Yet, is that also not a definition of want?'
'What is it that I want? Do I...want...anything within my life?'
'Water. Again, I see endless blue. Another image...that of myself. But it is not myself as a person, but rather, myself as a tutor. A tutor to one known as Ikari. Shinji Ikari. A person that I feel something about. I feel...bonded to him. Is this in the same way I am connected to Unit 00? No, this bond is...different.'
'This feeling of attachment to him....it....it is-'
A sudden feeling of physical blockage broke her thoughts apart and forced her eyes to focus.
Quickly did Rei determine where she was, as well as what had stopped her. Her location was that of still being on the street, but not more than ten feet from the entrance to her building. Normally, such would be followed by ascending a floor and then walking a hallway to the dull metallic door that represented possible entry into her apartment. But her entry had been blocked, namely because someone was in the way.
"Pardon me," Rei quietly said, trying to get past the person, believing that she had accidentally bumped into whomever it was that stood here, seeing as how she hadn't been watching her step.
The intruder, however, remained in place, continuing to block Ayanami's presence from entering the doorway. And as Rei brought her eyes up to identify this person, her brain didn't take long in figuring out the features of lengthy flame-colored hair, piercing blue eyes, and overall sneer that was the defining look of the Second Child.
"Hello, Wondergirl. Home a little late, aren't you?" Asuka's voice had a defiant and aggressive tone in it.
Rei could easily guess that this short-fused visitor wasn't here because of getting lost. It simply wasn't in the redhead's nature.
"Is something wrong?" the First Child questioned of the girl in front of her.
"Oh, nooo. Nothing at all." It didn't take a rocket scientist to discern the obvious sarcasm in Asuka's voice.
"Then why are you here?"
"Let me ask you first. Shouldn't you have come home right after classes?"
"Normally, yes."
"And what the hell doesn't classify as normal for you, First Child!?! Nearly anything other than walking home or going to NERV for some reason or another. Plus, I can certainly bet that it would undoubtedly include teaching that wimp Ikari about being able to thrash in the water."
"So I was right. You knew after all...."
Asuka immediately closed the distance between herself and Rei, close enough to be considered violating personal space by most societal and legal norms, with her aqua eyes flaring. "Just exactly what are you doing teaching Shinji about swimming anyway?"
"He admitted to me that he was unable to do that. So I chose to help him in such an endeavor."
"Oh, so you weren't ordered to by the Commander or anyone else, hmm?" Again, Asuka's words dripped sarcasm, with a healthy dose of venom.
"No, I was not." In perfect contrast, Rei's voice remained calm and still. "Shinji was frustrated at his inability to swim. I felt compelled to aid him."
"Oh, it's Shinji now, is it? And exactly why wouldn't anyone tell me any of this?" Asuka demanded. "Answer me that one, Ayanami!"
Rei tilted her head at Asuka slightly, as if giving her a questioning look. "Did you ever ask him?"
"Wh...what was that!?!" the Second Child replied, her eyes narrowing as if being challenged.
"Did you ever ask Shinji about it?"
"Why the fucking hell should I have to ask him about it?" At this point, neither girl could really tell when the German-blooded female's temper would go over the edge.
"He seems reluctant to offer you any kind of talk, unless you bully it out of him, out of fear of being hurt. Such is my observation of your relationship with him."
"Relationship? Relationship? And just what would you know about relationships?"
"I know they exist. I have ones with NERV personnel, though those are mostly the same. I also have ones that are different in nature, such as those with Dr. Akagi, Commander Ikari, Shinji, the Evangelion, and you."
"Then what's your relationship with Shinji? Are you his girlfriend now?"
Rei cocked her eyebrow just a bit. "I...do not understand that term."
"Are you close to that moron?"
"Yes, but he is not a moron, as you call him."
Asuka slammed her fist into the wall near them. "To hell if he isn't! He's idiotic, a dork and a jerk! I'll bet anything he's only still a pilot because he's the Commander's son..."
Rei could feel a bit of impatience growing within herself, but refused to let the often emotionally brittle Third Child be verbally battered like this. "He is none of those labels to me. I do not treat him the same way you do. Also, we are treated no better than anyone else."
'God, I want to hurt this bitch so badly!' Sohryu complained mentally, but decided to continue the debate for now, feeling sure that she could beat the stoic pilot in front of her.
Ayanami then posed another question. "Why are you so interested in the bond that Shinji and I share?"
"Oh, so it's no longer a relationship, huh? You think it's some kind of...connection? Ugh! To him? You're crazy."
"Of what interest is it to you?" Rei repeated. "You live with him. Do you seek this level of connection as well?"
Asuka's only response to that was a bit of a wide-eyed stare.
"Or is the fact that my lessons with him take time away from him being around you, and as a result, no one to lash out at when you're feeling lonely?"
Now the redheaded femme was pissed. To an exponential degree simply because this was Rei picking out vulnerabilities. The Second Child's body chose to act before her mind, placing both hands against the First and giving her a rough shove, causing the smaller girl to stumble back into the wall.
Not one second had passed since contact with the wall before Asuka again closed the distance, flexing her hand and gritting her teeth. Rei kept a neutral face, despite grimacing just a little from the pain.
A silence passed between them. Unlike the ones shared between instructor and student, this was not one of awkwardness, but of tension and hostility.
Ayanami finally spoke, having a good clue about what the temperamental pilot's intentions were. "Don't."
Asuka did little more than show teeth. "And why not?"
"It would produce no positive results as pilots-"
"Horseshit! This isn't about the pilots known as the First and Second Child, nor Evangelion Units 00 and 02. This is about you and me."
"You are forgetting Shinji."
"Oh, no, I haven't forgotten his sorry ass, which will be mine after I'm through with you."
"Do not do this. It will not solve anything."
"Maybe not, but it'll certainly give me peace of mind."
Rei said nothing in response, so Asuka took the initiative.
"No more talk, you mindless doll..." With that, the first production-model Eva pilot cocked her fist with lightning speed and plunged it toward the face of whom she just labeled as a sort of toy.
Had the blow connected, serious damage would have been inflicted upon the left cheek as well as the jawbone. Alas, Asuka's fist was stopped short but an inch from Rei's face as she noted (with great surprise) that the First Child's hand had caught her tightened hand, clutching it to avoid being struck.
The surprise was but momentary as the aggressor noticed her supposed victim's blocking arm trembling. That clued the redhead in on the fact that while Rei had stopped her, she probably wasn't of any greater strength than her, if at all.
Three more shocks upon the Second Child happened consequentially afterward. First of all, Rei pushed back with her defending hand, causing Asuka's limb to fly back just enough to be out of harm's way before the assaulter regained control of her arm. Next, the often serene crimson eyes of the quiet girl flared, as if truly coming to life for the first time in her existence.
Insulting her Evangelion piloting skills was irrelevant. Verbally bashing her life was also insignificant in the sky-colored girl's world. Putting down one who deserved her care such as Shinji brought out strong defensive emotions from within her heart. But, above all else, no matter what others said, thought, or believed about her, Rei Ayanami would never tolerate such a stinging blow.
Finally did the third shock present itself to Asuka, in the form of a set of words from Rei that would prove to be the last words ever of them would utter for several hours.
"I am NOT a doll!"
-------
Around 7:00 p.m...
The evening's darkness was settling upon the secretive Tokyo-3, and Shinji wasn't being any different, laying upon the floor while attempting to do homework and watch a boring television show at the same time.
Shinji hadn't known the approximate time, however, until he actually glanced at a mechanical clock hung upon the wall.
'Asuka's not home yet...and Misato isn't either...that's odd.'
Sighing and deciding not to worry about Asuka's desire to talk, the young Ikari strode to the kitchen in a lazy manner and placed a thawed fish into Pen-Pen's dish, after which he turned off the television, gathered his homework, and placed it within his room to continue working there.
His anticipation paid off as a few minutes later saw the waddling penguin emerging from the miniature refrigerator space that was enough to be a sufficient resting space, the animal's stimulated scent and growling stomach driving it to its dinner. Needless to say, Pen-Pen was happy with Shinji's excellent timing, despite the fact that the boy apparently forgot to put out and open a can of beer to wash down the fish.
The Third Child found homework to be about as boring as the television show he had been watching, not that he remembered what he had been watching anyway, but he chose to stick it out. As a result, after another hour of brain-racking and tense concentration, the homework was completed, followed by a sigh of relief from Shinji.
'Looks like the day really is over...' he thought with a relaxing smile.
And yet, Ikari was dead wrong.
It all began with the shrill ringing of the phone. Shinji found himself scrambling to get to it, bumping his shin against a wall upon his journey to the kitchen. Upon picking up the cordless and connecting the call, he could easily hear heavy breathing over the other end. Whomever it was, they were exhausted.
"Hello?" the Third Child nervously called in greeting.
"Good, Shinji, you're home." This was the Major's powerful voice.
"Oh, hi, Misato. Good to hear from you."
"Thanks. I wish I could say the same, but..."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"I'll explain when I arrive there. Get dressed and wait outside for me. I'll be there in ten minutes." Misato not only sounded fatigued, but rushed as well.
"Umm, where are we going?"
"The hospital."
Shinji's eyes went wide. This was indeed important. "...Asuka?"
"Something like that...like I said, I'll tell you when I get there." With that, Misato promptly hung up the line.
Ikari chose not to listen to the droning this time, disconnecting his end of the line and hurriedly slipping on his shoes. Since he was given a ten-minute time limit, Shinji chose not to change clothes, preferring instead to remain in his school uniform as his feet swiftly carried him out the door and to the elevator.
Yet, while in the elevator, the mind began to wander just a little, flowing with the emotions of anxiety and worry.
'Why is Misato taking me to the hospital? Did something happen to Asuka? Or Rei? Maybe both? Or maybe Misato is mad at me...'
'Rei said she would -take care of it- if Asuka went after me again. What did she mean by that? Will she be harmed? I don't want Rei to be hurt because of me...'
'Asuka....why did you want to talk with me? Was it something serious, or did you just want to vent frustrations at me, like you often do? Or are you hurt because of something I did?'
'No! I can't get like this! I can't chicken out. I musn't run away!'
Fortunately, the descent down took very little time, so Shinji wasn't freaking out for too long before regaining his composure, stepping through the lobby area and to the outside, patiently awaiting the Major's arrival, as he had been instructed.
Ten minutes didn't do Misato's dark blue junker justice as it barreled itself towards the building, making a decent stop near Shinji, yet the move left some skid marks on the pavement.
With near-perfect timing, the passenger door swung open. "Come on," Misato said in a voice that sounded rather subdued, a great departure from her frantic talk earlier.
Obediently, Ikari stepped inside, shut the door, sat down, and fastened his seat belt as Misato did a 180 with the car and began a speedy, yet careful ride towards their intended destination.
"So...what's wrong? Did something happen to Asuka?" Shinji finally asked after feeling strong enough to handle Misato's current state.
"Asuka...got in a fight."
"A...fight...Asuka...?" Shinji felt rather stunned.
"Yes, a fight. Not the kind involving words that you two have, either. A physical fight, like those you have against the Angels."
"Is she ok?"
"Not emotionally, that's for sure. She's got...issues. Physically, she only sustained a few bruises and a black eye."
"Who else was involved?"
Misato didn't answer.
"Misato, who was Asuka fighting with...?"
Again, no response. Shinji had a really bad feeling about this now. He didn't want to know the answer, but he desired the truth.
"Misato, please, tell me.."
"It...it was Rei."
"Wh....what?"
"Yes, Shinji. Asuka got into a fight with Rei."
"But...Rei is so....fragile....why would Asuka do such a thing?"
"I don't know, yet. I plan on talking to her once we get there."
"And...how is Rei?"
Misato smiled. Somehow, her female intuition had figured on the boy feeling more sympathetic for the First Child, and that question proved the gut call. But her smile quickly changed back into a frown. "As far as I was told, her injuries are about as bad, possibly worse."
"They're....they're worse?"
"They could be worse, Shinji. Don't start jumping to conclusions, ok?"
"Alright, I...I promise."
Misato forced herself to give Shinji a gentle smile. "Good..." After that, the Major's voice trailed off as the conversation died right then and there, each person consumed in their own thoughts.
-------
A short while later, the purple-haired guardian and her charge arrived at the hospital ward specifically designed for NERV personnel. Due to the high rate of injury, it was common for any Eva pilot to spend a fair share of time here. But, as Shinji knew, this was normally due to accidents during operations, not when two of the pilots of such powerful and fearsome weapons had engaged in a brutal person-to-person fistfight.
Of course, the Third Child wasn't all that interested in making such comparisons as he and Misato proceed to the designated recovery rooms for the First and Second, respectively. Shinji had chosen to visit Rei first, focusing more on his worry for her well-being than the brimming anger he felt toward Asuka, whom Misato had chosen to question about the ordeal.
Soon enough, Shinji found Rei's room. Hoping no one else was around, he opened the door and slipped inside. His fear settled as he only noticed his tutor lying in bed, still in her school garb, like himself. She apparently seemed to be sleeping at first, but Shinji couldn't see very well, so he flipped on the light switch.
A gasp was heard as this action took place, causing Ikari to flinch a bit and take another look. Though her body was in a restful position, Ayanami's eyes were quite open. And those eyes soon found themselves upon those of her visitor.
"Ikari..."
Shinji needed no further encouragement to rush to her, taking a chair and seating himself at her side. Tears had welled up in his eyes, but he didn't care as he placed his head upon her and cried just a little. "I...I'm glad you're alright, Rei.."
However, his ears picked up on ragged breathing, which he responded to by looking up and seeing that Rei's eyes had closed, as well as her teeth gritted together. Judging by the look, the Third Child guessed that she was in pain, and that he was the reason behind it, causing him to lift his head back up and sob that much more. "I...I'm sorry....I'm really sorry!"
"No," Rei stated, trying her best to control her own reaction to avoid making Shinji cry any more than he was already. "It is not your fault."
Shinji quieted down a little to listen to her. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"It is not your fault that I am injured."
"But then why..."
"I'll show you." With that, Rei moved down the sheet covering her and casually lifted up just enough of her shirt to expose the lower half of her torso.
Initially, Shinji averted his eyes, embarrassed that at the First Child's apparent lack of modesty in revealing her body, like during his first time in her apartment. She hadn't blushed once during that encounter, simply having him get off of her and redressing as if nothing had happened.
This time, however, was a bit different, as Ayanmi's normally pale, yet beautiful skin showed a decent amount of discoloration over the right half of her ribcage.
"Is...this what hurts?" Shinji asked.
Rei chuckled softly, soft enough that Ikari didn't notice. 'He is slow at times, but that is not a flaw in itself,' she mused within her mind as she let her shirt back down and carefully moved up to a sitting position, wincing a bit in pain from the motion.
Shinji kept his eyes on her, and although he had stopped shedding tears, he was still full of worry. "How bad...how bad is it?"
"There was internal bleeding. It has been stopped, but I must stay here for a few days for testing." This was, of course, only a half-truth, though Rei really didn't know if Shinji could handle the other half.
"Oh...and the weekend is coming...so..."
"What?"
"You won't be around on Monday to instruct me, will you?"
"No. I am afraid not."
Shinji sighed. "It's ok...it was fun while it-"
"Pilot Sohryu will be my substitute on Monday."
That caused the Third Child's eyes to widen and look directly at her. "Wh....what?"
"Before you arrived, she and I had a discussion. We should have done so before our conflict, but it has already happened."
"Why...did she do it?"
"She was upset."
"Upset? At what? Me?"
"Yes, and no."
"What do you mean?"
"She was not upset at you, but rather the fact that she did not know of your circumstance which led me to teach you."
"I...never told her. But she never asked..."
"A point I brought up to her as well. After her temper settled, she came and let me know of her desire to also help you in this quest of yours to swim, in some capacity."
"In some capacity..?" Shinji repeated. "A compromise?"
"Yes. While I will not be around Monday, I shall resume attending school the day after, and again I shall aid you. But for that day, and as such will be so every week for the moment, Pilot Sohryu will be your instructor."
"I...I'm..." Try as he might, Ikari couldn't exactly try to figure out an appropriate response.
At that time, the door opened and Misato stepped inside. "Shinji."
The Third Child looked immediately at his caretaker. "Y-Yes?"
"Let's go."
Yet, Shinji hadn't yet finished talking to Rei. "Can I have another minute or so?"
Katsuragi nodded. "Of course. I'll be waiting outside." She then slid the door shut, leaving the two children alone together once again.
Shinji looked back to Rei, noticing that her eyes were a little bloodshot. "I...I guess you're feeling a bit tired."
"Yes. I will sleep soon."
"Oh...ok. Well, I guess Asuka's ready, so I guess I'll be going..." Shinji replied, slowly standing and turning to leave the room.
"Wait."
Ikari pivoted around again and gave the girl a questioning look. "I...uh, is something wrong, Rei?"
Her only response was to pat the side of her bed. "Please, sit down."
Shinji started blushing quickly, but did as she had asked, keeping one leg on the floor to remain balanced. However, as he gazed upon her still face, he realized just how unable he truly was to decipher anything from her features. Yet the young Ikari liked it that way, because he felt safe around the introverted First Child, as if she would protect him no matter what happened.
To neither one's surprise, a silence ensued. But where the previous ones were long and uneasy, this one lasted for only a few seconds as each pilot lost themselves in the other's captivating gaze, after which Rei crept her arms up and around Shinji's chest and back, pulling him to her in a tight, but gentle embrace.
The cheeks of the Third Child were even redder now, but it didn't stop him from holding her in return. She felt soft against his body and it made him smile. That wasn't the only surprise in store for him, however, as Rei, being as silent as an assassin, placed her lips upon his cheek and gently kissed the warm skin.
Shinji froze when he began to feel all this. 'Is....is this real?' he wondered, not knowing whether his mind would cause him to faint or panic. Thankfully, the momentary fear passed as Rei separated herself from him very slowly.
"Thank you," she whispered into his ear. The sound of her voice so close to him made Ikari's spine tingle.
"...for what?" Shinji asked.
Rei removed her arms from him and laid back down upon the bed. "For caring," she answered, giving him another of her peaceful smiles. The smile then faded as the First Child closed her eyes and relaxed herself in an effort to fall asleep.
Shinji nodded. "Always, Rei..." He then let himself out, being as quiet as possible, knowing that rest would be important for her, while also making a mental note to check up on her in a couple of days.
Naturally, Misato was waiting in the hallway, getting up from her chair as the Third Child exited Ayanami's room. "Everything alright?" she inquired.
"Mm-hmm," Shinji replied, looking down both sides of the hallway. "Hey...where's Asuka?"
"She's waiting in the car," the Major said as she dusted herself off and slipped on her jacket. "Let's roll."
-------
The trip home proved to be uneventful, as neither the driver nor her pair of passengers chose to talk about anything in regard to the transpirings of the day. Not even the Second Child, who normally was quite the chatterbox for purposes of either getting on Ikari's nerves or bragging about herself, was oddly quiet.
Asuka, as Shinji had discovered, hadn't been as badly damaged in the scuffle. Though a rather noticeable shiner was seen upon her right eye, nowhere else on her body seemed to have incurred any injury. To insure proper healing, the NERV medical staff had wrapped some bandages as well as a pad over the eye. As a result, it made her look a bit like Rei when Shinji had first met her.
Within an hour, they arrived home and were in their respective rooms. Misato, of course, had herself a few drinks before entering into a noisy slumber. Asuka had simply stormed off without a word or even a nasty look.
Shinji, however, found it difficult to fall asleep, as his brain was alive with random thoughts about today...
'So Rei is going to be okay. I'm glad she's alright.'
'But, did I cause her to have this pain? Or was it pain she chose to take for me?'
'And as for Asuka, she didn't say a word to me on the way home. Does this mean she didn't want to talk to me, like in her note?'
'Is she upset with me? Or maybe disgusted with me?'
'Misato didn't seem particularly pleased, either. Or maybe she just wanted to break habit in drinking a few more beers than usual?'
'I wish I could just fall asleep...these thoughts are really-'
"Hey."
Startled, Shinji yelped and sat up immediately, looking frantically for the source of the disturbance. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light seeping in through the window, allowing him to recognize Asuka's bandages and face, as well as her position of kneeling on the floor. He also quickly realized that he felt sweaty from his restlessness as he wiped some moisture from his brow.
"Oh, hi, Asuka."
"We never did talk, you know." Surprisingly, Asuka's tone was rather subdued. Whether it was because of the fight, or simply because she didn't feel like waking Misato up, Shinji didn't know.
"W-well...I thought you just wanted to go to sleep."
"The weekend's coming up, dork. There'll be plenty of time for sleeping in." By this time, Asuka had gone from being on her knees to sitting cross-legged.
"Um, so...well, is it true?"
"Is what true? If you mean that Wondergirl and I fought, of course it is."
"No...I already knew about that."
"What did you want to know then, hmm?" Asuka had a bit of a leer on her face at this point.
"Are you really going to take over for Rei on Monday?"
In an instant did the Second Child's face become rather embarrassed at her outburst. "That's right." But she got a smirk back on her face in no time flat. "And don't expect me to go easy on you, Shinji Ikari!"
Shinji couldn't help but laugh, just a little. "I wouldn't think you'd be any other way, Asuka."
Words then ceased being spoken between the two pilots for a few moments before Asuka posed a question. "So...why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"You know, that you couldn't swim."
"I guess.....well, I guess just because you never asked me."
"I'm not surprised," Asuka said, scoffing as she slowly rose to her feet. "But while this little talk has been fun, I'm now in need of rest, since: one, I'm fatigued; and two, this stinging black eye Wondergirl laid upon me. You wouldn't know it from the look of her, but she can throw a hell of a cross."
"I never knew that about her."
"And you never will, as long as you don't call her a doll. That's the real reason why we fought, you know."
Shinji felt a tad shocked. "You called her a...doll?"
"Well, who wouldn't, with the way she acts so damned emotionless and blindly obedient?" Asuka pondered.
The Third Child gave her a bit of a skeptical look as she looked back to him while at his doorway, which offended her a bit. "Well, I know you wouldn't, idiot! She's different around you."
"Yeah, I know...it feels....nice..."
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I don't need to hear about that, Shinji. Now go to bed and save your strength. You're gonna need it."
With that, she shut the door to his room and promptly entered her own, nearly falling asleep the instant she hit the floor. 'At least he wasn't being a pervert...'
As for Shinji, he slowly slid back down and slipped on the earphones of his SDAT before covering himself with his bed sheet and activating the music device, seeing as how his mind was too scrambled at the moment from trying to think about everything that had occurred in this day, preferring instead to drown it out to the sound of the music.
Not that it stopped him from having the erotic dreams.....for now.
-------End of Chapter Three
Post-Chapter Author's Notes: Right off the bat here, I'll apologize for taking three weeks or so to get this story created and posted, instead of my average two. No real excuse, it just took me longer than I thought. Besides, you try to create a civil, meaningful conversation between Shinji and Asuka and keep a straight face, as well as keeping in line with the characters. :-P
Random thoughts commencing...
-The line Asuka spoke in regard to catching footage that would basically disprove any attempt by Shinji to deny it was inspired by the hit PS2 game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The original quote, from Otacon to Snake, was as follows, during the Tanker chapter after Snake made it to the holds: "Now, do your thing and take pictures that speak louder than the government's plausible denials." With some modification, it's all fit for Asuka to use.
-I don't know where in hell the note scene came from. I guess I just thought it would make sense to put that sort of thing into a story like this. It works with two people as reserved as Shinji and Rei, after all. :-D
-Yes, I did make Rei more talkative than before. She's evolving, what can I say? :-) However, I do enjoy writing dialogue with her involving a little quirk I hadn't picked up on until later on in the series, that, like Data (of Star Trek: TNG fame), she tends not to use contractions.
-Additionally, I know I put a lot of moments of silence in this story. Hell, I might be overdoing it. However, it was often used in the series as well, and it served to send messages, as well as teach viewers to be patient. Oh, and by the way, now that I have The End, I know how it all turned out, though I'm still trying to make heads and tails of it. Though it has inspired me for possible later stories.
And as for next time...
-Will Asuka seize her opportunity in the spotlight as temporary swim instructor to Shinji?
-Are either girl's injuries possibly more severe than either of them revealed?
-And, finally, will any NERV staff other than Misato and the pilots get a part in this story?
Only time will tell in the next chapter: My Turn, Wondergirl!